Patient/caregiver was instructed upon complications of prostate cancer as follows:
Prostate is a gland in males that surrounds the urethra and located between the urinary bladder and penis.
For reasons unclear, prostate gland in some individuals can develop cancerous growths. Prostate cancers can be small and benign and not present with any symptoms, especially in the initial stages. As the cancer grows bigger and if it spreads to other body parts, prostate cancer can present with severe symptoms and resulting complications. As prostate surrounds the urethra, bigger cancer mass in the prostate can press onto and narrow/close the urethra, interrupting the urine flow. This can result in weak urine stream and reduced urine volume with backed-up urine. Also, spread of the cancer (metastasis) can involve lymph nodes and distant sites, such as, bone, liver, lungs, and brain.
Urine back-up and metastasis of cancer to distant sites can result in the following complications –
- Bone pain: Prostate cancers can sometimes be aggressive with spread to distant sites. Most common site of spread happens to be the bone, with individuals presenting with severe pain and even fractures at the involved bone site.
- Other sites of metastasis: Other major sites of metastasis include liver, lung, brain, and spinal cord. Individuals with metastasis to the liver could present with severe abdominal pain with jaundice, fluid accumulation in the abdomen, severely compromised metabolism, poor appetite, reduced nutrition intake, fatigue, low endurance, and weight loss. Individuals with metastasis to the lungs could present with episodes of chest pain, severe shortness of breath, and compromised endurance. Individuals with metastasis to the brain could present with dizziness, headache, episodes of altered/loss of consciousness, and seizures. Individuals with metastasis to spinal cord could present with compression of the spinal cord and nerves resulting in neuropathy, sharp radiating pain & weakness in the limbs, poor bladder control with incontinence, and erectile dysfunction in males.
