Since a prostate cancer symptom can look the same as a symptom of something like BPH (enlarged prostate), it can be easy to mistake one for the other. It’s generally during routine examinations that prostate cancer is first detected. If you’re showing any of the following symptoms, you should probably go see your doctor immediately:

- Difficulty in retaining or passing urine

- Frequently urinating, quite often a night

- An intermittent or weak urine flow

- A painful or burning sensation when urinating

- Urine or semen containing blood

- Difficulty in achieving an erection or painful ejaculations

- Frequent stiffness or pain in the lower back, upper thighs, or hips

There are also a number of other factors that influence the chances of developing prostate cancer. Prostate cancer affects one out of six American men, making it the most common type of non-skin cancer. These risk factors include:

Age. As men get older the risk rises sharply. For men under 40, the odds of being diagnosed with prostate cancer are roughly 1 in 10,000. However, for men between 40 – 59, the risk increases to 1 in every 38, and for men between 60 – 69, the risk jumps to 1 in 15.

Family genetics. A man with a father or brother that’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer is 2 times more likely to develop it himself. If the prostate cancer was diagnosed in those family members at an early age (say, younger than 55), or if 3 or more family members were affected, the risk jumps greatly.

Race. Men of African-American ancestry are 60% more likely than Caucasian men to develop prostate cancer, with their odds of dying from it more than twice that of other races. The prostate cancer risk for U.S. men, overall, hovers around 17%. For Asian men still living in Asian countries, the cancer risk is the lowest (about 2%), but as they move into Western cultures, that risk tends to rise dramatically.

Location. Men living in cities above 40 degrees latitude (north of Columbus, OH, or Philadelphia, PA) have the highest risk of death from prostate cancer than for men anywhere else in the U.S. It is suspected that lower levels of sunlight during the wintertime reduces critical Vitamin D levels, increasing cancer risks.

Additional risk factors that can cause the exhibition of prostate cancer symptoms and the development of aggressive prostate cancer:

- Not eating nearly enough high-fiber vegetables

- High calcium consumption

- Lack of exercise because of a sedentary way of life

- Excessive height.

Factors and conditions that don’t seem to increase your risks for developing prostate cancer include:

- Obesity, or having a high BMI (body mass index)

- Enlarged prostate (BPH)

- Prostatitis

- Hypersexuality

- Vasectomies

- OTC and prescription medications

- Alcohol

Once author Chuck Viccente experienced his first possible prostate cancer symptom, it worried him so much that he started researching and writing articles on prostate enlarged symptoms, BPH, prostatitis, and other male health issues. Here he gladly shares some of what he has learned.