I am at the end of my tether, trying to explain ad nauseam, that Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH), is not the same as prostate cancer. Someone from Lagos sent me above text, over the months and years I have received tens of variants of similar questions.
In a study done in Oxford University and published in New England Journal of Medicine, the meta-analysis demonstrated that BPH was associated with an increased incident of prostate cancer. Actually it was stated that BPH is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer and bladder cancer. Hence the routine medical advise that once you clock 40, you must commence your a regular medical annual checks, which must include your prostate.
As I have stated in my donkey write ups over the years, BPH is a non malignant enlargement of prostate, caused by cellular hyperplasia. It is a common age associated disease affecting 70% of men aged 50 and above. BPH can be a bothersome and potentially severe condition. Not only can it lead to lower urinary tract symptoms and diminish patient’s quality of life, but it may also be associated with certain male urological cancers such as prostate cancer and bladder cancer. The worst part is that most men with BPH experience decrease in libido and other associated erectile dysfunctions.
The mechanism between BPH and prostate cancer is not fully understood. Some studies suggested that hormones, inflammation, metabolic syndrome are likely to play a role in BPH and prostate cancer. To date, many epidemiological studies have investigated the association between BPH and prostate cancer, which is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and the number one cause of cancer death for men in both developed and developing countries. However the findings of these studies are inconsistent.
Both BPH and prostate cancer are common. About 1 out of every 7 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 1 out of every 2 men in their 50s will have BPH. It should also be noted that both BPH and prostate cancer have similar symptoms. So it is sometimes hard to tell the two conditions apart. As prostate grows for any reason, it squeezes the urethra. This pressure prevents urine from getting down your urethra and out of your body. Prostate cancer symptoms often don’t start until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra.
Symptoms of BPH and prostate cancer include, an urgent need to urinate, feeling the urge to urinate many times during the day and night, trouble starting to urinate or having to push to release urine, weak or dribbling urine stream, urine flow that starts and stops, feeling that your bladder is never fully empty.
But prostate cancer alone, might also notice the following1 symptoms – painful or burning urination, blood in your urine, trouble getting an erection, painful ejaculation, less fluid when you ejaculate and blood in your semen.
In treatment of BPH for mild or moderate symptoms, your doctor might prescribe one of these drugs. Alpha blocker – terazosin. This drug terazosin is used in men to treat the symptoms of an enlarged prostate, which include, difficulty in urinating, hesitation, dribbling, weak stream, incomplete bladder emptying, painful urination, urinary frequency, urgency and weak libido.
Terazosin is called alpha blocker because it relieves symptoms of BPH by relaxing the muscles of the prostate and bladder. It also lowers blood pressure by relaxing blood vessels. I have prescribed terazosin drug over the years and most of my patients have reported improvements in their BPH symptoms and improvement in their libido. Always be medically guided.
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