Do you know the symptoms?

Early signs of prostate cancer can be difficult to spot and most men won’t have any symptoms to start with.

The cancer grows deep in your body so there’s no visible way to tell if it’s there.

One of the early signs may be the way you urinate, and while this can also be a sign of a very common non-cancerous cause called an enlarged prostate, it's important to get it checked out.

Make sure you go to your GP if you spot the following:

• difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder
• a weak flow
• a feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied properly
• dribbling urine after you finish
• needing to go more often, especially at night
• a sudden urge to urinate – you may sometimes leak before you get to the toilet.

The cancer spread and move to other parts of the body causing many possible symptoms, including:

• back pain, hip pain or pelvis pain
• problems getting or keeping an erection
• blood in the urine or semen
• unexplained weight loss.

These symptoms can be caused by other things that aren’t cancerous, but it’s still a good idea to see a GP.

One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, but by knowing the symptoms and taking a stand we can help tackle the disease together.

Lincolnshire Co-op, together with members and colleagues, has chosen to back Prostate Cancer UK as the Society's Community Champion for this reason. Fundraising for the charity runs from now until June.

Find out more about prostate cancer by visiting the Prostate Cancer UK website or clicking here, or by picking up an official Prostate Cancer UK leaflet available in one of Lincolnshire Co-op's 49 pharmacies.

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