What is prostate cancer? Where does prostate cancer metastasize to?

Among cancer diseases, the occurrence of prostate cancer is also a disease that people should pay special attention to. Generally speaking, in life, people should know more about the symptoms of prostate cancer. Therefore, in order to help everyone better understand the clinical manifestations of prostate cancer, the following content of this article is an introduction to the symptoms of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer refers to an epithelial malignant tumor that occurs in the prostate gland. In 2004, WHO's "Pathology and Genetics of Tumors of the Urinary System and Male Reproductive Organs" listed prostate cancer pathological types as adenocarcinoma (acinar adenocarcinoma), ductal adenocarcinoma, urothelial carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and adenosquamous carcinoma.

Prostate cancer often has no symptoms in its early stages. As the tumor progresses, the symptoms caused by prostate cancer can be summarized into two categories:

1. Compression symptoms

The gradually enlarged prostate gland compresses the urethra and can cause progressive dysuria, which is manifested as thin urine stream, short range, slow urine flow, interrupted urine flow, dripping after urination, incomplete urination, labored urination, frequent urination, urgency, increased nocturia, and even urinary incontinence. Tumor compresses the rectum and can cause dysuria or intestinal obstruction, and can also compress the vas deferens to cause lack of ejaculation, compress the nerves to cause perineal pain, and can radiate to the sciatic nerve.

2. Metastatic symptoms

Prostate cancer can invade the bladder, seminal vesicle, and blood vessels and nerve bundles, causing hematuria, hematospermia, and impotence. Pelvic lymph node metastasis can cause edema of both lower limbs. Prostate cancer is often prone to bone metastasis, causing bone pain or pathological fractures and paraplegia. Prostate cancer can also invade the bone marrow and cause anemia or a decrease in the whole blood count.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer? As mentioned above, in the early stages of prostate cancer, it will not show obvious symptoms. However, as the tumor grows, it will cause patients to experience symptoms of frequent urination, urgency and urinary incontinence. Some patients will also experience genital pain. After metastasis, it will also cause hematuria and hematospermia.