Prostate Cancer: What You Should Know

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The Facts

  • Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in Ireland. 4502 men are diagnosed here each year.
  • Many men with early prostate cancer have no symptoms at all.
  • Because you may not have symptoms, if you are a man over the age of 45 it is important to talk to your doctor about PSA testing if you have any of the risk factors outlined, below.
  • There has been a large increase in the numbers of men diagnosed in recent years due to the increasing use of the PSA blood test.
  • Prostate cancer responds well to treatment and, if detected early, it can be treated successfully.  When prostate cancer is detected early survival rate is 95% (current 5 year survival rate)
  • If your father or brother has had prostate cancer, you are two times more likely to get prostate cancer at some point in your life.

The Prostate and Prostate Cancer

The prostate is a small gland found only in men and is part of the male reproductive system. It is the size of a walnut and surrounds the first part of the tube (urethra) which carries urine from the bladder to the penis. The prostate lies close to the rectum (back passage) through which it can be closely felt and examined for its size. The function of the prostate is to make some of the fluid used to carry sperm.

Key Risk Factors

The cause of the majority of prostate cancers is unknown. However, the risk of developing prostate cancer may be slightly increased with the following:

  • Increasing age – Prostate cancer is quite rare in men under 50.
  • Family history – If your father or brother is diagnosed with prostate cancer you are two to three times more likely to get prostate cancer yourself. If they had it at a young age your risk is greater still.
  • Genetics –  Men who carry a faulty BRCA2 gene are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. To learn more about the BRCA gene in men, click here.
  • Diet – the “Western diet,” which is rich in fats and low in fibre, may increase risk.
  • Race – African-American and African-Caribbean men are more at risk than other ethnic groups.

Click here for more information about risks factors and causes of prostate cancer.

What to look out for?

Early prostate cancer is often present without any obvious symptoms. However, if you have any of the symptoms listed below, make an appointment with your doctor.

  • Dysuria – difficulty and pain passing urine
  • Urgency – difficult to postpone passing urine
  • Frequency – going to the toilet more frequently than before
  • Nocturia – getting up more than twice a night to pass urine
  • Hesitancy – taking time to get going when passing urine
  • Flow – has become weak or intermittent
  • Incomplete emptying – feeling that the bladder has not emptied
  • Blood – present in the urine

Less common symptoms include:

  • Trouble having or keeping an erection
  • Lower back pain or pain in hips or upper thighs.

It is important to note that the prostate enlarges with age. It wraps around the urethra and this enlargement (benign prostatic hyperplasia – BPH) can cause bladder outlet obstruction which can lead to the above symptoms. BPH is more common than prostate cancer but the conditions may exist together. BPH is not cancerous but can be troublesome.

Click here for more information about the symptoms of prostate cancer.

What to do

If you experience any of the listed symptoms:

  • Please make an appointment with your GP. He or she will determine the severity of your symptoms and examine your prostate gland. Examination involves a digital rectal examination (DRE) where the prostate is examined and felt by the doctor by using a finger in the back passage. The examination itself will be quick and painless, and will assess the size, texture and consistency of the gland and look for any irregularities.
  • If discovered early, prostate cancer can be treated successfully.

How Prostate Cancer is Diagnosed

Tests and investigations to diagnose prostate cancer include digital rectal examination and blood tests (PSA) by your GP which will be repeated again if you are referred to a urologist (specialist doctor). A rectal scan (transrectal ultrasound) and a biopsy of the prostate may be necessary.

You can read more about the PSA test here.

You can read more about other tests for prostate cancer here.

The PSA Blood Test Explained

PSA is prostate specific antigen, a substance produced by the prostate sometimes but not always in higher quantities in men with prostate cancer. Other causes of a raised PSA blood test include benign prostatic hyperplasia in men with a large prostate gland and infection or inflammation in the prostate (prostatits). A raised PSA blood test does not mean that you have prostate cancer but that you may have an increased risk of developing the disease.

If the PSA is raised, your doctor will talk to you about your options. Men in Ireland are not routinely offered PSA tests to screen for prostate cancer. There are many reasons for this, the most relevant being that although the PSA is prostate specific, it is not cancer specific. In other words the PSA can be raised for reasons other than cancer.

You can read more about the PSA test here.

Treatment for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer treatment will depend on:

  • The type of cancer cells found at the time of diagnosis.
  • The test results.
  • The age of the patient.
  • General health of the patient.

Some of the treatment options include: active surveillance (doing regular PSA blood tests and digital rectal examinations), surgery, radiotherapy (external beam or brachytherapy), hormone therapy and chemotherapy. Your doctor will discuss your treatment options with you. Some of these treatments may be used alone or together to treat some prostate cancers. It is often useful to have a friend or relative with you when the treatment is explained. Some patients find it helps to write down a list of questions before going to the appointment.

You can read more about the factors that determine the treatment for prostate cancer here.

How Can I Reduce the Risk for Getting Prostate Cancer

You may help to reduce your risk and look after your health generally by:

  • Maintaining a healthy weight by combining a balanced, low fat diet with regular physical activity.
  • Doing regular exercise –Try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity five times or more a week. The more active you are, the more you can reduce the risk.

Side Effects of Treatment

Treatment for prostate cancer can cause a variety of side effects which can affect your mind, your body and your relationships. All of this can impact your sex life, some more than others. You can read about sex and prostate cancer here.

Some men experience urinary problems after prostate cancer treatment, including leakage of urine (incontinence). You can read information about this here.

01

What You Should Know

Information about prostate cancer in Ireland, the signs and symptoms of the disease, the PSA blood test and prostate cancer treatment.

Learn more
02

The Prostate & Prostate Cancer

Find out about what the prostate is, what it does and what prostate cancer is.

Learn more
03

Symptoms

Read about possible symptoms of prostate cancer and when to see your doctor.

Learn more
04

Risk Factor & Causes

This page tells you about the causes of prostate cancer and factors that can affect your risk of developing prostate cancer.

Learn more
05

PSA Blood Test & Screening

Find out more about the PSA blood test, how it works, what it does, its risks and benefits, and why there is no national screening programme for prostate cancer.

Learn more
06

Diagnosing Prostate Cancer

Find out more about the PSA blood test, how it works, what it does, its risks and benefits, and why there is no national screening programme for prostate cancer.

Learn more
07

Further Testing

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you may need further tests to see if the cancer has spread. This page tells you about some of these tests.

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08

Stages of Prostate Cancer

The stage of a cancer tells you how big it is and how far it’s spread. It helps your doctor decide which treatment you need.

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09

Factors in Deciding Your Treatment

Your treatment depends on where your cancer is, how big it is, whether it has spread anywhere else in your body and your general health. This page explains more.

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10

Coping with Prostate Cancer

Getting practical and emotional support can help you cope with a diagnosis of cancer, life during treatment and life after cancer.

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11

Sex & Prostate Cancer

Find out how prostate cancer and treatment can affect your relationship with your partner.

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12

Urinary Problems after Prostate Cancer

After treatment for prostate cancer you may have problems passing urine. These effects last for a few weeks for most people.

Learn more
13

Prostate Cancer & the BRCA Gene

Men that test positive for the BRCA gene can be at a higher risk for developing prostate cancer.

Learn more
14

Heroes of Hope

Read the stories of 15 Irish men who have survived prostate cancer, including Tony Ward, Sean Boylan and Michael Murphy.

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Talking

Prostate Cancer

For the third installment of the Marie Keating Foundation Talks Cancer podcast, we will be #TalkingProstateCancer. Over the next five episodes with host Director of Nursing with The Marie Keating Foundation, Helen Forristal, the “Talking Prostate Cancer” series explores the facts around prostate cancer.

Highlighting the signs and symptoms, discussing the positive progress that has been made around treatment options & the impact of early detection, we’ll talk to experts in the field of prostate cancer along with hearing some honest and open conversations about what it is like to navigate a prostate cancer journey and the impact it can have on not only the person with a cancer diagnosis but also on their intimate relationships with partners, family, and close friends.
Subscribe today to make sure you don’t miss out.

With thanks to our co-sponsors…

Season 3

Talking Prostate Cancer

Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect from this series of The Marie Keating Foundation Talks Cancer!

Season 3

Episode 1: Prostate Cancer in Ireland with Helen Forristal and Liz McEvoy

In the first episode of the series Director of Nursing and Urology Care Co-Ordinator, Helen Forristal and Liz McEvoy Urology Cancer coordinator at Tallaght University Hospital are getting the series off to a strong start exploring the facts, stats, and background to prostate cancer in Ireland.

Along with this insightful overview they answer the most frequent questions asked around prostate cancer like, what are the signs and symptoms, when to go to your GP, Family History and so much more.

Season 3

Episode 2: Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer

In this episode we delve into treatment options for prostate cancer. We are incredibly lucky to have an esteemed line up of guests taking us through a number of treatment options in depth and discussing the necessary considerations when deciding on a treatment pathway.

Director of Nursing Helen Forristal is joined by Mr Richie Power from Beaumont Hospital, Dr Gerard McVey from St Luke’s Hospital and Dr Waseem Darwish from the Mater Hospital.

Season 3

Episode 3, Patient Advocates: John Wall

In this episode we have the privilege of speaking with patient advocate John Wall whom many of you will have heard of. John is a man living with advanced metastatic prostate cancer. In this episode he shares his story with incredible honesty discussing what living with cancer is like for him and how it impacts not only his life but also the lives of his loved ones.

He talks about his journey, treatments, side effects along with his overall emotions, wellbeing, and the impact on his quality of life.

Season 3

Episode 4, Patient Advocates: Paul & Geraldine Ferris

In this episode we have the privilege of speaking with patient advocate Paul Ferris and his wife Geraldine. Former Newcastle United winger Paul Ferris was 51. He had successfully forged a post-football career as a physio, barrister and then a CEO, and his award-winning memoir, The Boy on the Shed, was just about to be published. But then he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

He talks openly about his experience with great humor and profound bravery. Paul’s wife Geraldine joins him for some of this episode to discuss the impact of a prostate cancer diagnosis within a relationship.

Season 3

Episode 5: Survivorship with Geraldine O’Boyle

We are closing out this series with a powerful conversation about survivorship. What happens after treatment, how does it impact you physically and emotionally? We are privileged to be having a frank and open discussion with Ger O’Boyle around, infertility, urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction, altered body image manhood and managing relationships. These are a reality for many, yet they sometimes stay silent for some for fear of stigma and judgment.

This is such a powerful and impactful conversation to share and inspire more open conversations amongst others facing these issues.

Our Prostate Campaigns

Pay Attention to Your Pee — 2024

Pay Attention to Your Pee — 2024

The Big Quiz — 2023

The Big Quiz — 2023

Stand Up For Your Prostate — 2022

Stand Up For Your Prostate — 2022

Stand Up For Your Prostate — 2021

Stand Up For Your Prostate — 2021

Step Up to the Mic — 2020

Step Up to the Mic — 2020

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