Why Does Prostate Cancer Cause Hip, Pelvis, and Back Pain?

Some men with prostate cancer don’t realize the existence of the disease for many years until it gets worse and show some discomfort symptoms. The reason is due to this kind of cancer is more likely to grow very slowly, though in some cases it can grow rapidly and aggressively, too. Does it cause pain in the back, pelvis, and hip – if so, when and why?

As men get older, many of them experience a condition called prostate enlargement. Though it is a common condition, but the good news it is not cancerous tumor. But this enlargement can generate some similar symptoms to what happen in prostate cancer – see more this issue in this section!

In general, the very early stage of prostate cancer doesn’t lead to any signs and symptoms at all. Typically, the symptoms appear when the cancerous tumor has become large enough to cause pressure to the urethra (a tube that carry urine out of the body, it lines from the bladder to your male genital organ).

*Picture credit to the Cancer Research UK

The pressure that hits the urethra can cause some problems in the way of how you pass the urine. Both cancerous and non-cancerous enlargement of prostate can press on the urethra, blocking the flow of urine. See in here for in-depth information about the symptoms of prostate cancer.

If the cancer does cause the symptoms, some of them may include:

1. Increased frequency of urination, particularly at night.
2. Typically, you need to rush to pass urine.
3. Difficulty to urinate. For instance, many times you need to strain to pass your urine!
4. Poor control in emptying your bladder, there is a feeling of incompletely emptying your bladder.
5. In rare cases, you feel pain when passing urine or find blood in your semen /urine.

Having one or some of these signs and symptoms doesn’t mean that you definitely have cancer of prostate. Even most of enlarged prostate is only benign condition – not cancerous condition. If it is not cancer, it is relatively easier to treat.

However if you in-doubt to any symptom you experience, you should be checked by a doctor for a clearly diagnosis – don’t make a conclusion on your own way! Treating prostate cancer at early stage when there is a risk that it might start to progress and spread is much easier than when treating it at advanced stage!

Again, this male cancer tends to progress and grow slowly. And since it affects more elderly men than young men, many patients are more recommended to stick with an active monitoring because the slowly progression of this cancer is less likely to cause a serous effect in the lifetime of elderly men.

Active monitoring is a procedure that suggests the treatment for cancer is not immediately necessary but the cancer progression is continuously and regularly monitored. And once there is a signal that it might begin to become aggressive, the treatment can be given immediately.

When the cancer doesn’t spread yet, pain is rarely associated with cancer of prostate. Even many times, it doesn’t cause any symptom when it is still at early stage, as noted before.

Though it often grows slowly, but like most things in cancer, it can spread, too.

If the pain in the groin, pelvis, hip, or even back is really linked to the cancer of prostate – typically this means that the cancer has spread to the bones (the most common metastatic site of prostate cancer). Here is a complete guide about this issue.

The pain could be followed with other symptoms. These could be ED (erectile dysfunction) or/and unexplained weight loss.