Prostate cancer - symptoms

Prostate cancer/symptoms

Prostate cancer does not usually cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra).

Symptoms of prostate cancer can include:

• needing to pee more frequently, often during the night


• needing to rush to the toilet


• difficulty in starting to pee (hesitancy)


• straining or taking a long time while peeing


• weak flow


• feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully


• blood in urine or blood in semen

These symptoms do not always mean you have prostate cancer. Many men's prostates get larger as they get older because of a non-cancerous condition called benign prostate enlargement.

Signs that the cancer may have spread include bone and back pain, a loss of appetite, pain in the testicles and unintentional weight loss.

Further information:

• Prostate Cancer UK: about prostate cancer


• Cancer Research UK: prostate cancer symptoms