Mid-South Men's Health Organization

Signs and Symptoms

Early prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms. More advanced prostate cancers sometimes cause symptoms, such as:

Problems urinating, including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often, especially at night
Blood in the urine or semen
Trouble getting an erection (erectile dysfunction or ED)
Pain in the hips, back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones
Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer pressing on the spinal cord

Most of these problems are more likely to be caused by something other than prostate cancer. For example, trouble urinating is much more often caused by benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous growth of the prostate. Still, it’s important to tell your health care provider if you have any of these symptoms so that the cause can be found and treated, if needed.