TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Watch out for symptoms prostate cancer which often goes unrecognized because the disease progresses slowly. Symptoms of prostate cancer usually don’t appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the ducts that carry urine from the bladder out of the penis.
In these conditions, erectile dysfunction can occur. The American Cancer Society states erectile dysfunction or impotence can be a warning sign of advanced prostate cancer.
“Prostate cancer that is more severe sometimes causes symptoms such as problems urinating, blood in urine or semen, and difficulty with erections,” wrote the health agency, as quoted from Express.
Severe prostate cancer can cause erectile dysfunction directly. In its milder form, this condition can cause painful ejaculation, which can interfere with sexual pleasure. Health experts now know 70 percent of erectile dysfunction can be traced to physical conditions that restrict blood flow, inhibit nerve function, or both.
Harvard Medical School describes sudden erectile dysfunction that can be a sign of cancer prostate. To be sure, your doctor will likely perform a prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal test during the diagnostic exam to assess this possibility.
If you are concerned about erectile dysfunction, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics to treat the problem. But it can take several weeks to complete and return to a normal erection.
Meanwhile, the UK’s Public Health Service (NHS) says men are not routinely offered PSA tests for prostate cancer screening because the results are unreliable. This is because the PSA blood test is not specific for prostate cancer. PSA levels can also be raised by other non-conditions.
“Elevated PSA levels also cannot tell doctors whether or not a person has life-threatening prostate cancer,” the agency wrote.
Medical site Cancer.net say erectile dysfunction may be caused by a tumor that interferes with nerves or blood flow. According to Cancer Research UK, other symptoms of prostate cancer include more frequent urination and waking up at night to empty the bladder (nocturia), difficulty urinating, including weaker flow, not emptying the bladder completely, and straining when it starts. emptying the bladder, there is also blood or semen in the urine.
Also read: Early Detection of Prostate Cancer, Check Time Examination
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