Movember is a good reminder to take care of yourself and get screened regularly
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect Canadian men. One in seven men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.
Prostate cancer is a disease where some prostate cells have lost normal control of growth and division. They no longer function as healthy cells.
A cancerous prostate cell has the following features:
• Uncontrolled growth
• Abnormal structure
• The ability to move to other parts of the body (invasiveness).
It is important to note that not all clusters of cells growing in a mass are cancerous, and that a prostate with an irregular shape is not necessarily cancerous either. It is advisable to ask your doctor what it may be.
Prostate cancer can be slow-growing and some men who develop prostate cancer may live many years without ever having the cancer detected. It is important to get screened regularly so that if you do develop prostate cancer, the appropriate action can be taken. A significant proportion of prostate cancers, if untreated, may have serious consequences.
Common signs and symptoms of prostate cancer may include:
- Difficulty urinating
- Urgent need to urinate
- Frequent urination, especially at night
- Burning or pain when urinating
- Inability to urinate or difficulty starting or stopping urine flow
- Painful ejaculation
- Blood in the urine or semen
Symptoms are not always present especially in the early stages of prostate cancer. If detected and treated in its earliest stages (when cells are only in the prostate), your chances of survival are greatly increased. Early detection is key.
The Movember Foundation is uniquely placed to address the crisis at a global level. They’re funding ground-breaking programs all over the world, engaging with men where they are, to understand what works best, to help make change happen sooner. The Movember Foundation’s goals are big, by 2030, they’ll reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%. Half as many men dying from prostate and testicular cancer, half as many men suffering serious side effects as a result of their treatment and a quarter fewer men dying from suicide.
Learn how to make a difference with the Movember Foundation.