Cancer cells in the prostate can spread to other parts of the body, mainly the bones known as bone metastasis. When this occurs, it reaches the spine, ribs, and hips. This is most commonly seen in stage four prostate cancer and results in back pain. It is estimated that 60 percent of men with advanced prostate cancer will experience bone metastasis.
Other symptoms of prostate cancer include frequent and urgent urination, nighttime urination (nocturia), reduced urine flow, pain with urination or ejaculation, and blood in the urine or semen. It’s important to note that these symptoms can also occur with benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatitis, which are treatable but should still be brought up to your doctor.
In its early stages, prostate cancer may not present symptoms. This is why it’s important that men, especially those at a higher risk, undergo prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening.
Other causes of back pain include strains, sprains, overexertion, injuries, damaged, ruptured, or deteriorating discs in the spine, spinal stenosis, pressure on the spinal nerves, sciatica, abnormalities of the spine, such as scoliosis, arthritis and other inflammatory diseases, kidney stones, infections, and abdominal aortic aneurysms.
If prostate cancer is caught early on, the prognosis is positive, with many men living many more years after diagnosis with minimal complications.
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