20 Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Roughly one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, and while the disease is most common in older adults, younger men are not immune. In fact, up to 80% of men over 80 have cancerous cells in the prostate. African American men are at higher risk than other ethnicities, and early symptoms are often mild or mistaken for other conditions. Because early detection greatly improves treatment outcomes, recognizing potential signs—no matter how subtle—is essential.

1. Interrupted Urination

An interrupted or weakened urine stream is a common sign of prostate problems. While benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), or an enlarged prostate, often causes this symptom in older men, it can also signal prostate cancer. BPH isn’t life-threatening, but its overlap with cancer symptoms makes medical evaluation important—especially if urination is consistently difficult, starts and stops, or feels incomplete.