Prostate cancer

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Why is early detection important?

Hear from Clifford, a local prostate cancer survivor who shares his experience of prostate cancer.

Clifford’s GP is in Staffordshire but he was treated at New Cross Hospital as it was the closest hospital to his home.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent residents have the choice of treatment at several local hospitals, including: University Hospitals of Burton and Derby, Black Country Hospitals, University Hospital of North Midlands and Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham.

Don’t hesitate to speak to your GP practice if you have symptoms, family history or are worried. Catching cancer early saves lives.

What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer

The prostate is a gland. It sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra, which is the tube that carries urine (wee) out of the body. Overtime, as you get older it grows bigger. Prostate cancer happens when the cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way.

Who has a prostate?

• Men
• Trans women
• Non-binary people who were assigned male at birth
• Some intersex people.

What are the symptoms?

Prostate cancer usually develops slowly, so there may be no signs for many years. Symptoms of prostate cancer may not usually appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra).

Symptoms can include:

• Weak flow
• Feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
• Blood in urine or blood in semen
• An increased need to pee
• Straining while you pee.

Risk factors:

• Age – your risk is increased with age, particularly men over 50
• Family history – your risk is two and a half times more likely if your father or brother has been diagnosed
• Ethnicity – your risk is increased to 1 in 4 men if you are of black ethnicity.

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