Prostate cancer often has no early symptoms. This makes regular prostate cancer screening important for anyone with a prostate.

Some symptoms may be caused by other health issues. Talk with your doctor if you:

• Have trouble starting or continuing to urinate (pee)
• Need to urinate more often, especially at night
• Have trouble emptying your bladder
• Feel pain or burning when you urinate
• See blood in your urine or semen
• Have pain in the hips, back or pelvis that doesn’t go away
• Feel pain when you ejaculate

Prostate cancer risk factors

Risk factors for prostate cancer include:

• Race: African Americans have a higher risk of aggressive prostate cancer at a younger age.
• Family history: People are at higher risk if they have one or more close relatives (parent, sibling or child) with prostate, ovarian, breast, colon or other cancers.
• Genetics: People with changes in certain genes, like BRCA1 and BRCA2, are more likely to get prostate cancer. They are also more likely to have a more aggressive type of prostate cancer. We provide genetic tests and counseling to help you understand your test results.

Other risk factors may include:

• A diet high in red meat, dairy and saturated fat
• Obesity or metabolic syndrome with obesity
• Exposure to tobacco
• Exposure to chemicals used in firefighting or defoliating, like Agent Orange

Learn more

• Prostate Cancer Symptoms, Prostate Cancer Foundation
• Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer, American Cancer Society
• Symptoms of Prostate Cancer, CDC