Urinary Problems Experienced By Patients With Prostate Cancer
Patients who suffer from prostate cancer often experience urinary problems either due to the condition or to the treatment itself. The term urinary dysfunction encompasses both urinary incontinence, which can range from some leaking to complete loss of bladder control, and irritative voiding symptoms, including increased urinary frequency, increased urinary urgency, and pain upon urination. Obstruction of the bladder by an enlarged prostate is the typical reason for these symptoms initially however, after therapy, these symptoms are typically caused by damage to the nerves and muscles that control urinary control, explain the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the tube that transports urine from the bladder through the penis. If the prostate pressures the urethra, patients may experience these urinary problems, such as trouble getting started , incomplete emptying, or a weak urine stream. In addition, surgery may damage the nerves or the bladder outlet muscle, the sphincter. According to the foundation, incontinence is the primary urinary side effect of a prostatectomy surgery to remove the prostate, while about 25% of the patients reported frequent leakage or no control and the need to use absorbent pads at six months after treatment. Radiation therapy is also known to increase urinary frequency and urgency.
Prostate Problems And Related Urinary Symptoms
Many men have problems with the prostate at some time in their lives. The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system. Its located just below the bladder. The prostate surrounds the urethra . The main function of the prostate gland is to add fluid to the semen. When problems occur in the prostate, the bladder and urethra are often affected as well. The most common prostate problems are described below.
Prostatitis: Inflamed Prostate Can Be A Vexing Health Problem
- By Patrick J. Skerrett, Former Executive Editor, Harvard Health
When it comes to prostate trouble, the lions share of attention goes to prostate cancer and an enlarged prostate. A third condition, prostatitis, flies under the radar even though it affects up to one in six men at some point in their lifetimes. It triggers more than two million visits to doctors and untold agony each year.
Prostatitis, which means inflammation of the prostate gland, is an equal opportunity disorder. Unlike prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia , which predominantly affect older men, prostatitis affects men of all ages.
Prostatitis refers to a loose assemblage of syndromes characterized by urinary problems such as burning or painful urination, the urgent need to urinate, trouble voiding, difficult or painful ejaculation, and pain in the area between the scrotum and rectum or lower back. Although it causes some of the same symptoms as BPH and can occur at the same time, prostatitis is a separate condition.
Some types of prostatitis are caused by bacterial infection. These cases are often accompanied by the classic symptoms of infection, such as fever, chills, and muscle pain along with urinary problems. As a result, they are relatively easy to diagnose and treat, and they usually respond well to antibiotics. Unfortunately, such straightforward forms of prostatitis are the minority.
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Recurrent Prostate Cancer Symptoms
Prostate cancer that returns after treatment is considered recurrent. When it returns to the area around the prostate, the disease is classified as a local recurrence. If the cancer is found in another part of the body, the recurrent cancer is considered metastatic. If the cancer metastasizes outside the prostate, it most likely develops in bones first. Metastatic prostate cancer most often spreads to the liver, bones and lungs.
After initial treatment for prostate cancer, PSA levels are expected to drop dramatically. The first sign of recurrent prostate cancer may be a rise in the PSA level. Other symptoms of recurrent cancer may depend on whether and where the cancer has spread. Symptoms include:
- Blood in the urine
- Difficulty breathing
- Jaundice
Patients should discuss any symptoms with their doctor and ask about scheduling regular PSA tests after treatment.
When Should I Call My Healthcare Provider
Dysuria is a symptom. It causes a burning sensation, pain and/or discomfort. You will likely choose to contact your healthcare provider because this symptom is uncomfortable. It’s important to see your provider to determine if your symptom is related to a urinary tract infection or another medical cause. In any case, the sooner you see your provider, the sooner a diagnosis can be made and treatment can be started.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 12/08/2020.
References
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See Your Doctor If You Have Symptoms
If you cant urinate at all, you should get medical help right away. Sometimes this problem happens suddenly to men after they take certain cold or allergy medicines.
You should see your doctor if you have one or more of these symptoms:
- a weak urine stream
- unable to empty your bladder completely
- urinating eight or more times a day
- urine that has an unusual color or smell
- waking often to urinate when you sleep
When To See A Doctor
See your primary care provider if youre having pain, burning, or trouble urinating. They may refer you to a urologist, a doctor who treats urinary health disorders in both men and women. This specialist also treats issues of the male genital system, including prostate problems.
During the exam, the doctor may insert a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum. This test is called a digital rectal exam . It helps your doctor feel if part of your prostate is swollen or enlarged.
During the DRE, your doctor may massage your prostate to cause fluid from the prostate to be secreted into your urine in order to check for a cause of prostatitis, such as an infection. They may also test your blood, semen, and urine.
Your doctor may order an ultrasound, which is a scan that uses sound waves to create a picture of your prostate. They may also perform urodynamic tests, which measure your ability to empty your bladder.
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Are There Other Non
Yes, aside from BPH, there are a number of prostate problems that also have nothing at all to do with prostate cancer. Among these benign disorders of the prostate are acute prostatitis and chronic prostatitis and, rarely, prostatic infarct .
Acute prostatitis is a bacterial infection of the prostate. It can occur in men at any age. Symptoms include fever, chills, and pain in the lower back and between the legs. This problem also can make it hard or painful to urinate. Doctors prescribe antibiotic medicines for acute prostatitis and recommend that the patient drink more liquids. Treatment is usually successful.
Chronic prostatitis is a prostate inflammation that tends to recur over time. It is usually not associated with true bacterial infection but causes similar symptoms of pain and discomfort, without fevers or chills. Chronic prostatitis is difficult to treat, and the exact cause is not well understood. Antibiotics may be used in some cases as well as anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen. In many cases, symptoms will resolve on their own.
Prostate infarct is a localized area of dead prostate tissue as a result of inadequate blood supply. Prostate infarct is uncommon and may cause sudden increases in the PSA test.
What Is The Prostate Gland What Does It Look Like
The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system, and it is a walnut-sized gland found in men that is located below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine and semen exit the body. Its main function is to produce seminal fluid in order to transport sperm through the urethra.
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Treatment For Dysuria And Related Conditions
Treatment for painful urination will differ depending on the cause of the discomfort.
Antibiotics are recommended for urinary tract infections, and dysuria usually improves within a few days.
If there is skin irritation that has caused inflammation, your doctor may recommend that you avoid anything that is causing the skin irritation.
Vaginitis is usually treated with antibiotics, and yeast infections are often treated with antifungal medications.
If the burning is caused by a serious kidney infection such as pyelonephritis, your doctor may give you antibiotics through a vein before recommending an oral course of antibiotics.
Your doctor can also give you recommendations to help reduce the level of pain, which may include drinking more fluids daily, taking over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen , or changing dietary habits.
If irritation from chemicals such as bubble bath is experienced in children, your doctor may recommend an over-the-counter diaper rash cream.
Diagnosing Back Pain And Prostate Cancer
A doctors first step in finding out the cause of back pain typically is to take an image, usually an X-ray or CT scan.
For men who have early stage or localized prostate cancer, that it would spread to the bone is very unusual, says Chris Filson, a doctor at the Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center. However, if a patient has more advanced prostate cancer, we have to do additional tests to ensure theres no involvement of the cancer in the bone.
A doctor who suspects or already has diagnosed prostate cancer will look for characteristic changes in the bone. The X-ray or CT scan also can indicate how much of your spine is affected and where.
In addition, an MRI can detect problems that an X-ray or CT scan cant.
Chiropractors are often the ones who first spot or suggest the presence of prostate cancer. Joint pain, especially back pain, often sends people to chiropractic care when they dont have any other symptoms of prostate cancer.
Whether youre seeing a chiropractor or medical doctor, be sure to provide your complete medical history. This can help your doctor diagnose your back pain. Its especially important to mention any personal or family history of cancer.
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Doctor’s Notes On Inability To Urinate
An inability to urinate means that person cannot pass urine out of the body through the urethra. Another broad term for inability to urinate is urinary retention, although urinary retention may be considered as either partial or complete. This is different from anuria, which means the persons body is not producing urine in the kidneys, because people that cannot acutely urinate still produce urine.
There are two types of urinary retention, acute and chronic. Acute may occur suddenly and chronic may occur over a longer timespan. Acute obstruction is a medical emergency and can be life threatening. The causes of the inability to urinate can be either obstruction of the urethra or non-obstruction of the urethra but are due to muscle and/or nerve problems that interfere with normal signals between your brain and your bladder. The inability to urinate is a symptom itself of underlying medical problems that may affect the urinary tract.
Obstructive urinary retention or the inability to urinate are due to underlying causes. The causes include the following and frequently involve putting pressure on the urethra or obstruction of the urethral lumen that results in little or no ability for urine to pass out of the body.
- vaginal childbirth.
What are the signs and symptoms of a persons inability to urinate?
- an acute inability to urinate,
- urgent and painful feeling or need to urinate, and
- severe pain in the lower abdomen.
Treatment For Burning While Urinating
Patients Suffering from Symptoms like Burning While Urinating Should Find a Nearest Urologist for the Diagnosis . Self Diagnosis , Self Treatment with Out Being Diagnosed can cause Serious Health Complications .
The Treatment for Burning While Urinating can Be Primarily done with Antibiotics Doxycycline , Cypro etc . The Patients may first feel the Relief from the Symptoms But it Wont Last Longer Until the Patient Notices the Recurrence of the Symptoms .
Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs are also Used as the Treatment which Works as the Pain killer , This treatment method May help the Patient condition Temporarily , The Symptoms recurs when the Patient Stops taking the Medications .
Alpha-blockers and Surgeries can also Be used as an other Treatment options . Which Can Provide the Temporary Symptoms Management while the Patients Stop taking the Treatment the Symptoms Recurs , Long term Usage Of Antibiotics can Cause Liver Damage and also Patients may develop Resistance Towards Antibiotics .
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Back Pain From Cancer
Rarely, it may be the first manifestation of cancer, says a paper in the Journal of General Internal Medicine .
The study authors point out that out of 1,975 walk-in patients at a clinic, only 13 were found to have cancer as a cause of their back pain.
Certain findings correlate to this, but these findings certainly dont automatically mean cancer:
At least 50 years of age
Previous history of cancer
Pain lasting longer than a month
No improvement with conservative therapy
Whats scary is that the paper says that metastatic cancer, when causing back pain, may not always cause other symptoms.
When cancer causes back pain, its more frequently in the lower region. Thus, pain specifically in the middle back, from this disease, would be even rarer.
Quite simply, pain in the back, be it low, middle or upper, has MANY causes including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease , fibromyalgia, aortic disease, imminent heart attack, premenstrual syndrome, benign ovarian cysts and overdoing it in a yoga class.
Dr. Psallidas is the main author of many peer-reviewed publications and book chapters in pleural disease and lung cancer.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. Shes also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Freepik.com/ shayne_ch13
- Other organs
Prevention Of Dysuria And The Conditions That Can Cause It
There are several changes in daily habits that can prevent painful urination. Drinking several glasses of water a day can reduce the risk of dysuria.
Safe sexual practices, such as using a condom, can also prevent sexually transmitted diseases that can cause painful urination.
Swimsuits wet for too long can cause irritation, and frequent bubble baths should not be taken either.
Women are advised to urinate after having sex to prevent bacteria from traveling to the bladder.
It should be cleaned after a bowel movement, with toilet paper from front to back.
Women should also change tampons and sanitary napkins frequently when menstruating, and avoid douching and vaginal sprays.
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Cause Of Urinary Problems As Men Age
Many men experience urinary symptoms as they age, which may be caused by inflammation of the prostate gland . In older men, symptoms may be due to a blockage in the tubes due to a benign enlargement of the prostate gland . The most common symptom is difficulty emptying your bladder. Urinary symptoms may become bothersome enough that they require treatment. Not all urinary symptoms are due to changes to the prostate. Also, some men have enlarged prostates and yet experience few, if any, symptoms.
Key Points About Prostatitis
- Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate gland caused by infection. It can be one of several types.
- Prostatitis is not contagious and is not an STD.
- Any man can get prostatitis at any age. Symptoms of prostatitis may include urinating more often, burning or stinging during urination, pain during urination, and fever and chills. Your healthcare provider usually diagnoses prostatitis by your symptoms and by checking your urine and semen for signs of infection.
- Antibiotics are used to treat prostatitis. In rare cases, you may need surgery.
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What Is The Prostate Gland
The prostate is a gland about the size of a walnut. It is part of the male reproductive system and wraps around the tube that carries urine out of the bladder. It grows larger as you get older. If your prostate gets too large, it can cause health issues. Having prostate problems does not always mean you have cancer.
Sometimes a doctor may find a problem during a routine checkup or by doing a rectal exam. If you think there is something wrong with your prostate, see your doctor right away.
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At the start, prostate cancer does not cause symptoms. As the cancer grows, you may have trouble urinating. Some men need to urinate often, especially at night. Others have pain or burning during urination, blood in the urine or semen, pain in the back, hips, or pelvis, and painful ejaculation.
To find out if these symptoms are caused by prostate cancer, your doctor will ask about your past medical problems and your family’s medical history. He or she will perform a physical exam. During the exam, your doctor will put a gloved finger into your rectum to feel your prostate for hard or lumpy areas.
Your doctor may also do a blood test to check the prostate-specific antigen level. PSA levels can be high in men with an enlarged prostate gland or with prostate cancer. You may also need an ultrasound exam that takes computer pictures of the prostate.
If tests show that you might have cancer, your doctor will want to confirm this with a biopsy. He or she will take out tiny pieces of the prostate to look for cancer cells. Your doctor may want to do a biopsy again to re-check the results.
Treatment for prostate cancer depends on whether cancer is in part or all of the prostate or if it has spread to other parts of the body. It also depends on your age and overall health. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment choice for you. You may want to ask another doctor for a second opinion.
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