Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in elderly men, especially males over the age of 70. It is usually due to an abnormal multiplication of cells in the prostate gland; luckily, these cancers are a little more indolent and slow in growing, hence usually death due to prostate cancer is a very late event. However, most commonly, the symptoms of prostate cancer are usually indolent and are similar to those of benign hypertrophy of the prostate, which include frequency of urination, nocturnal urination, stress incontinence, and other symptoms. If not evaluated, prostate cancer can lead to certain problems in the future, including a lot of diseases and disabilities. OnlyMyHealth editorial team spoke to Dr. Prasad Kasbekar, Consultant Surgical Oncologist, Masina Hospital, Mumbai, to know about the other diseases that prostate cancer can lead to. 

Prostate cancer is usually measured by biopsy and by the PSA levels in the blood, which is your prostate-specific antigen. If ignored, prostate cancer usually grows indefinitely locally as well as readily metastasizing or spreading to other parts of the body, especially the bones; sometimes it can also spread to the lungs and brain. So usually the complications of prostate cancer, when untreated, include local complications like retention of urination. This can lead to back pressure changes, hydronephrosis of the kidneys, and later problems where the patient might need uremia, dialysis, and things like that.

Also read: Prostate Cancer: Here’s How To Effectively Deal With It

Systemic complications are usually caused by the spread of the cancer into the body: back pain, bone pain, pain in various organs, easy formation of parts where it metastasized, so it can present as a complicated fracture of a limb or the spine. It can cause rib pain and increase the risk of rib fractures by affecting the ribs. These cancers can sometimes present with symptoms if they spread to the lungs. Hemostasis means blood in your cough sputum and, if it’s severe, breathlessness. Brain metastasis is not very common in prostate cancer, but if it spreads through the brain, obviously patients can have symptoms such as hemiplegia, altered sensorium, fits or seizures, and things like that.