A high percentage of prostate cancers do not show and are only detected during check-ups
The prostate is a nut-size gland that is part of the male reproductive system and its function is to produce a fluid that is part of the semen, the sperm-containing fluid. The size of the prostate increases as the individual grows, but when it becomes oversize, it can cause problems.
The prostate is a nut-size gland that is part of the male reproductive system and its function is to produce a fluid that is part of the semen, the sperm-containing fluid. The size of the prostate increases as the individual grows, but when it becomes oversize, it can cause problems.
The Head of the Urology Unit of the Quirónsalud Marbella Hospital, Doctor Pablo Navarro Vílchez, explains that the prostate gland "experiences growth from the age of 40 onwards, with the tissue becoming thicker in the area surrounding the urethra, thus causing discomfort at times". As our expert indicates, "the majority of the time these issues are associated with urination. This condition can cause more frequent urination, getting up more times during the night in order to urinate or feeling an urgent need to urinate several times a day. A weaker urine stream, urinary retention or even incontinence are symptoms that can reveal a prostate-related pathology".
The Urologist of our hospital on the Costa del Sol assures that "it is very common to mistake the symptoms deriving from the benign growth of the prostate with prostate cancer, as the clinical signs are very similar". In his opinion, it is important to highlight that "there is a high percentage of prostate cancers that do not show and are only detected during check-ups".
Prostate cancer is the most form of male tumour in Spain. According to the Spanish Medical Oncology Association (SEOM, in its Spanish abbreviation), in 2023 over 29,000 cases will have been diagnosed. It is the most common form of male tumour and it has been ranked as the third cause of cancer mortality, following lung and digestive tract cancer.
Due to the high prevalence of the disease, our Doctor highlights the need to get an appointment for a preventative consultation with the specialist. Especially when the patient is over 45 years of age, which is the threshold at which specialists advice a visit with an Urologist once a year.
And last, the Head of the Urology Unit of the Quirónsalud Marbella Hospital would like to put those who feel uncomfortable or nervous with the appointment with an Urologist at ease: "the check-up is very easy and it needs to be individualised, requiring a trust relationship between the patient and the doctor and the urologist’s careful attention to the symptoms being described by the patient."
Main prostate issues:
- Benign prostate hyperplasia: It is very frequent in males from 40 years old onwards; and it happens when the prostate has become enlarged but not cancerous. Hyperplasia is not believed to increase the risk of prostate cancer, in spite of the first symptoms being the same.
- Prostate cancer: This is the most frequent form of cancer in males and the second cause of death on account of cancer in our unit; its incidence increases with age, with an estimate that at the age of 80, it affects 80% of the male population.
- Prostatitis: Very common infection generally caused by bacteria; it can be caused by sexually-transmitted infections.
