It takes a long time to urinate; could it be prostate cancer?

Dear Doc,

When I go to the bathroom to pee I have to wait a long time before the urine flows and it takes a long time to finish, but yet still I have to go every two hours to pee. Could it be prostate cancer?{{more}}

Courtney

Dear Courtney,

The only way to know of a diagnosis is by assessment of your prostate by a doctor.

The symptoms that you are relating can be attributed to the prostate, but there is another condition of the prostate called benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) that can cause these identical symptoms. BPH is not a cancer and the symptoms arise from the constriction of the flow of the urine from the bladder. This is because the urethra, which channels the urine from the bladder when we pee, passes through the prostate. When the prostate enlarges, it squeezes the channel, thus making it difficult for the urine to leave the bladder. Because all the urine does not leave the bladder, it takes a shorter period of time before it refills, thus making you want to pee very often.

BPH and prostate cancer can only be diagnosed by your doctor and both require treatment by your doctor. Many men suffer the inconvenience of the symptoms of BPH for many years because they are afraid that it is prostate cancer. In both scenarios, there is significant benefit from early diagnosis and treatment.

Doc

SVG Cancer Society,
P.O. Box 709, Kingstown.
Email: svgsocietycancer@gmail.com
Phone: 526-7036