Blood In Urine After Prostate Cancer Treatment: What You Need To Know
There are a number of reasons men with prostate cancer develop bleeding in urine. Hematuria can occur in patients with newly diagnosed prostate cancer as a result of cancer overgrowth that causes symptoms such as a urinary infection or difficulty voiding. More commonly, blood in the urine can occur during radiation treatment for prostate cancer.
Bleeding from Prostate
A small amount of bloody urine can be expected after a prostate biopsy that is performed to diagnose prostate cancer. In addition, blood in urine is expected after surgery for prostate cancer. Typically the amount of blood should be small and should resolve within a week after surgery. However, you might see a small amount of blood in urine on and off for a few weeks after surgery.
Blood in the urine can also be expected after radiation brachytherapy for prostate cancer. One may also experience blood in urine after external beam radiation to the prostate, such as IMRT.
After radiation therapy, blood in urine typically starts within a few weeks after treatment initiation it is usually minor and intermittent and resolves within the first few months after radiation therapy. In patients at risk, such as smokers and the elderly, a full evaluation should be performed. Persistent bloody urine after radiation therapy should be fully evaluated due to increased risk of bladder cancer in men with prostate cancer as well as increased risk of secondary bladder cancer after radiation therapy.
What Are The Symptoms Of Prostate Cancer
If you have any symptoms that worry you, be sure to see your doctor right away. They may be caused by conditions other than prostate cancer.
Different people have different symptoms for prostate cancer. Some men do not have symptoms at all.
If you have any of the following symptoms, be sure to see your doctor right away
- Difficulty starting urination.
- Weak or interrupted flow of urine.
- Urinating often, especially at night.
- Trouble emptying the bladder completely.
- Pain or burning during urination.
- Pain in the back, hips, or pelvis that doesnt go away.
Keep in mind that these symptoms may be caused by conditions other than prostate cancer.
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- The prostate gland is a male reproductive organ that produces fluids to feed and protect sperm cells.
- Many men experience urinary changes as they age. In many cases, these changes do not need specific treatment.
- When urinary changes cause problems, they can be treated successfully by lifestyle changes, medication, surgery or a combination of the three.
- For problems such as blood in the urine, pain on urination, inability to urinate or uncontrollable urine flow, see your doctor promptly.
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Another type of prostate issue is chronic prostatitis, or chronic pelvic pain syndrome. This condition causes pain in the lower back and groin area, and may cause urinary retention. Symptoms include leaking and discomfort. In severe cases, a catheter may be required to relieve the symptoms. If the problem is unresponsive to other treatments, your doctor may suggest a surgical procedure. If these do not work, your symptoms could progress and become chronic.
An acute bacterial infection can cause a burning sensation. Inflammation of the prostate can affect the bladder and result in discomfort and other symptoms. This is the most common urinary tract problem in men under 50, and the third most common in men over 65. The symptoms of acute bacterial prostatitis are similar to those of CPPS. Patients may experience a fever or chills as a result of the infection.
Urine Test May Spot Aggressive Prostate Cancer
THURSDAY, Nov. 4, 2021
A urine test might one day be able to tell which prostate cancer patients need immediate treatment and which dont, British researchers report.
Prostate cancer can be divided into low and high risk the low-risk men rarely require treatment, and the high-risk certainly do, said study author Jeremy Clark, a senior research associate at Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia in Norfolk. However, there is a third group, called intermediate risk, which falls between these extremes, and the treatment pathway for these men is less clear.
Prostate cancer is common over 40% of 50-year-old men will have prostate cancer but not everyone is dying of it, so deciding which men to treat is not always easy, Clark said.
We have developed a simple urine test that can measure the presence of aggressive cancer and also how much aggressive cancer is present, he said.
The test appears to be able to assess how much aggressive cancer is present in these intermediate-risk men, and so could be used to identify a group of intermediate-risk men that could avoid immediate treatment, which includes surgery and radiotherapy, and instead, these men could be monitored by active surveillance by being retested yearly to see if their disease is stable or not, Clark said. Around a quarter of the intermediate-risk men could fall into this group.
The report was published Nov. 3 in the journal Life.
More information
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What Causes An Enlarged Prostate
We still dont really know all the things that cause the prostate to grow. But we do know about two risk factors that can increase your risk of having an enlarged prostate.
Age
Your risk of having an enlarged prostate increases as you get older. Many men aged 50 or over have an enlarged prostate, but they dont all get symptoms. And some men have symptoms that don’t bother them.
Hormone levels
The balance of hormones in your body changes as you get older. This may cause your prostate to grow.
Other factors
Some studies show that obese men and men who have diabetes may be more likely to develop an enlarged prostate. Regular exercise may help to reduce your risk of urinary symptoms. But we still need more studies into the causes of enlarged prostate to know for certain if, and how, we can prevent it.
There is also some research that suggests you may be more at risk of developing an enlarged prostate if your father or brother has one. Again, further studies are needed to confirm this.
Transurethral Electro Resection Of The Prostate
Removing the enlarged part of the prostate is usually the best long-term treatment for an enlarged prostate gland. The portion of the gland that is not squeezing the urethra stays in place. The outside capsule around the gland is also untouched.
Transurethral electro-resection of the prostate is the traditional way to remove prostate tissue using minimally invasive surgical techniques. No outside incision is needed. Thereâs less pain, fewer complications and faster healing.
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Are There Different Causes For Men
In some cases, blood in the urine may mean something different for men than for women. Blood may show up from either an enlarged prostate gland or prostate cancer.
And, both bladder and kidney cancers are more common in men than in women.
For 2018, the American Cancer Society estimates 42,680 new diagnoses of kidney cancer in men and 22,660 in women.
For bladder cancer, the society estimates 62,380 new cases among men and 18,810 in women in 2018.
The most common cause of bladder cancer is smoking, Dr. Abouassaly says.
The carcinogens get absorbed in the blood and filter into the kidneys and bladder and they just sit there, he says. I recommend if you are a smoker, do everything you can to stop smoking.
What Are The Symptoms And Signs
The location of the prostate gland is fairly low in the pelvic region, below the urinary bladder and in front of the rectum. It lies in very close proximity to the urethra. The urethra is the tube that conveys urine from the bladder to the external environment. When the prostate gland swells, it tends to exert pressure on the urinary bladder as well as the urethra. Initially, there may be no significant disturbance. Eventually, however, the individual will notice certain changes in patterns of urination. The following symptoms are common manifestations of enlargement of the prostate gland:
- The individual may find it difficult to initiate urination and may need to strain to force urine out.
- There may be a reduced flow of urine.
- The urine stream may pause intermittently.
- Frequent urge to urinate, particularly at night.
- The bladder is not voided completely upon urination.
- Sudden, unexpected urges to urinate.
- Urinary incontinence.
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Who Has An Enlarged Prostate
It’s estimated that approximately half of all men in their fifties have an enlarged prostate. This number is even higher for men beyond this age range. Some men dismiss changed in urination habits as an inevitable part of the aging process. However, ignoring the problem can lead to other serious problems with the urinary system and its various structures.
What You Need To Know About The Prostate Blood In Urine After Prostate Exam
A enlarged prostate can also cause blockages in the urethra. A blocked urethra can also damage the kidneys. A patient suffering from an enlargement of the prostate may have pain in his lower abdomen and genitals. If pain is present, a digital rectal examination will reveal hard areas. A doctor may prescribe surgery or perform an endoscopic procedure. If the enlarged prostate is not completely removed, it will shrink.
While the size of an enlarged prostate will influence the extent of urinary symptoms, men may experience a range of urinary symptoms. Some men have minimal or no symptoms at all. Some men will have a very enlarged prostate, whereas others will have a mild enlargement. Generally, the symptoms can stabilize over time. Some men may have an enlarged prostate but not notice it. If they have an enlarged colon, their physician can perform a TURP procedure.
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Five Early Signs Of Enlarged Prostate
posted: Jul. 12, 2019.
As they age, men run the very common risk of having an enlarged prostate, also known as Benign Prostate Hyperplasia or BPH. While most men will experience some sort of prostate issue during his life, the good news is that an enlarged prostate does not always indicate a more serious condition such as cancer. However, an enlarged prostate does bring with it its own set of inconveniences and problems. If you are experiencing any of the following signs, changes are you may have an enlarged prostate and should seek treatment as soon as you can before matters become worse.
Signs Of A Prostate That’s Enlarged
A larger than normal prostate often results in frequent urination, especially at night. The size of the prostate doesn’t always suggest what symptoms may be experienced. It’s possible for a man with a prostate that’s only slightly enlarged to have more severe symptoms than one with a significantly enlarged gland. Signs and symptoms suggesting prostate enlargement include:
- Frequent urges to urinate
- An inability to urinate
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Problems With Enlarged Prostate Gland
Benign enlargement of the prostate gland is more common as men get older. It can cause troublesome symptoms, although it doesnt always.
The urethra passes through the prostate gland, so men may have problems urinating if the enlarged gland restricts the flow of urine. If the flow stops completely, a catheter is required to empty the bladder. It is rare for this form of acute urinary retention to cause kidney damage.
An enlarged prostate doesnt always cause urinary problems. Studies indicate that the size of a mans prostate gland has little influence on the type or severity of his urination problems. BPH is just one possible cause of urinary symptoms.
Another cause of urinary symptoms can be changes to the muscular wall of the bladder, which may cause spasms of the bladder or weaken the bladder, causing problems passing urine.
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Other Tests May Include:
Cystoscopy. This is a procedure a urologist performs to see inside the bladder and urethra . The doctor uses a thin tube with a camera and light on the end–called a cystoscope–to look for cancer cells or other problems.Kidney imaging tests. The doctor may order an imaging test such as ultrasound, CT scan or MRI to look for a tumor, a kidney or bladder stone, an enlarged prostate or other problem.
Your doctor may order one more urine test to look for signs of infection, kidney disease and cancer. You may have a blood test to check for high levels of the protein creatinine, a sign of kidney disease.
In many cases, the doctor is not able to find out why there is blood in the urine, Dr. Smith notes. He or she may decide to retest your urine in a year. If blood is found, you may undergo more tests. Or you may be retested several years later.
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Diagnosis Of Blood Clots In Urine
A medical expert will order specific tests to determine the cause of the blood clot in the urine. The series of examination procedures may include urinalysis and intravenous pyelogram .
Moreover, cystoscopic examination may be performed which involves the use of a tiny camera in viewing the urethra to detect possible tumors in the urethra. Kidney x-ray may also be used in order to detect kidney abnormalities in patients especially when other tests cannot provide reliable findings.
There are other various tests like urine culture, abdominal ultrasound, and MRI, also helpful in identifying the condition of internal organs. See signs of internal bleeding.
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Treatment For Urinary Problems
If your urinary problems are caused by infection or enlargement of the prostate gland, treatment may include:
- a long course of antibacterial medication because infection is difficult to get rid of, the antibacterial medication will need to be taken for many weeks
- medication to improve urine flow and other symptoms
- surgical procedures the type of surgery required depends on the size of the prostate and the condition of the urethra. Types of procedures include:
- transurethral resection of the prostate
- transurethral incision of the prostate
- laser resection of the prostate
- open surgery prostatectomy
- removal of prostate tissue using water jets or steam
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What Is An Enlarged Prostate
At birth, the prostate gland is tiny. When testosterone levels rise during puberty, the prostate grows rapidly, doubling in size by age 20. Growth slows down for the next two decades and the prostate usually does not cause problems for many years. Less than 10% of 30-year-old men have an enlarged prostate. When a man reaches his 40s, the prostate goes through a second growth spurt. Half of all men have an enlarged prostate by the time they reach age 60, and by age 85, 90% of men have an enlarged prostate.
The prostate surrounds the tube that carries urine from the bladder . During puberty, the prostate expands evenly. The enlargement that occurs in the second half of life, however, is concentrated in the part of the gland next to the urethra. As the gland gets bigger, it interferes with the flow of urine out of the bladder. That makes the bladder work harder to empty urine. Over time, the problem worsens, and eventually not all the urine can be emptied. The bladder wall also may become thickened, which can result in muscle spasms.
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About Half Of Men Older Than 50 Have An Enlarged Prostate Here Are Some Of The Basic Facts You Need To Know About This Common Condition
As men age, many experience prostate gland enlargement. This condition is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia .
The prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the hollow tube that carries urine out of the body. When the prostate gets bigger, it can squeeze or partially block the urethra, which leads to problems urinating.
BPH is quite common in older men. In fact, the condition impacts about 50% of men between the ages of 51 and 60. For men 80 and older, the prevalence of BPH is approximately 90%, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.
While BPH can have serious complications, it is not a cancer and is generally linked to a mans aging process. Although the causes of BPH are not entirely understood, some researchers have investigated whether hormonal changes and cell growth as men age could be related to the development of the condition. If left untreated, BPH can lead to bladder, urinary tract or kidney problems.
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