What are the symptoms of prostate cancer and what should you check for?

The prostate is a gland that is about the size of a walnut which sits just below the bladder within the pelvis.

It surrounds the urethra - the tube that takes urine out of the body through the penis.

Prostate cancer - abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth - often develops slowly.

There may be no signs or symptoms for years and some people never develop any problems from it.

But in others, the cancer can be aggressive and deadly.

Prostate cancer that's detected early has the best chance for successful treatment.

Prostate Cancer UK says one in eight men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives, with about 55,000 cases diagnosed each year.

There are about 12,200 prostate cancer deaths every year, according to Cancer Research UK.

It is most common in older age - among men over 75. Cases in the under-50s are rare.

Your risk of prostate cancer is higher if you have a close relative - a father, brother, grandfather or uncle - who has had prostate cancer.

It is also more common in black men.

The common ones are:

• needing to urinate more frequently - particularly at night
• difficulty starting to urinate, weak flow and it taking a long time
• blood in urine or semen

These symptoms can be caused by other conditions too - but it is important to have any changes checked by a doctor.

There is no single, diagnostic test. Doctors make a diagnosis based on various measures.

This can include a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a scan, as well as a biopsy, which involves taking a small tissue sample to examine in the laboratory.

A high PSA does not always mean cancer. It can go up if there is an infection, for example.

Some men with a raised PSA may have a prostate cancer that would not have caused problems or needed treatment, causing unnecessary worry and further investigations.

Men over 50 can usually ask their GP for a PSA blood test if they want to. Your GP will explain the potential benefits and risks.

If you decide you want a PSA test, you should refrain from sexual activity and vigorous exercise, such as cycling, in the two days beforehand as this can affect the results.

Doctors are also considering whether adding MRI scans to PSA tests might improve the situation.

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At present, the disease is the most common cancer in the UK that does not have a screening programme.

Campaigners including Chris Hoy have argued that some groups of men at high risk of the disease should be tested for it regularly.

In November 2025, the UK National Screening Committee said that only a small group of high-risk men should be eligible for regular testing for prostate cancer.

It recommended:

• no screening programme for all men as it is "likely to cause more harm than good"
• no screening for black men due to "uncertainties" around the impact
• no screening based on family history
• screening should be offered every two years for men between the ages of 45 and 61 if they have specific genetic mutations called BRCA variants

According to the committee, screening - which would involve a blood test then scans of the prostate and a biopsy - can miss deadly cancers and detect those that never need treatment.

It said the small number of lives saved by finding some cancers early would be outweighed by the number of patients harmed by unnecessary treatment, which can lead to a loss of bladder control.

Reaction to the committee's advice was mixed.

Cancer Research UK said it supported the decision, adding it was good news for men with faulty BRCA genes.

But charity Prostate Cancer UK said it was "deeply disappointed", and Prostate Cancer Research said the decision was a missed opportunity for black men, who have double the risk of the cancer, and those with a family history of it.

After a three-month consultation, the committee will give its final advice to ministers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in March 2026.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said he was in favour of screening if it was "backed by the evidence".

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Different treatment options are available and your doctor will advise which might be most suitable.

If the cancer is at an early stage and not causing symptoms or growing quickly, it might be possible to keep it under observation or "watch and wait".

Some prostate cancers can be cured with treatments such as surgery and radiotherapy.

Hormone therapy may also slow cancer growth.

It may also be possible to destroy the cancer cells using extreme cold (cryotherapy) or high-intensity focused ultrasound.

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