March is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Expert Mr Gordon Muir, Consultant Urological Surgeon at London Bridge Hospital, has provided some important information to combat misinformation and raise awareness of the symptoms and treatments of prostate cancer.

Contrary to popular expectations, “Early prostate cancer causes no symptoms and can be diagnosed only by examination or a blood test,” Mr Muir reminds us, highlighting the need for men to be aware of these symptoms and to receive prostate examinations where recommended. "Advanced prostate cancer may present with bone pain, difficulty passing urine, or general malaise."

Can patients reduce their risk of prostate cancer? “The most important factors are race - black men are much more likely to develop the disease - and family history,” says Mr Muir. “There is nothing a man can do about those! Being overweight and eating a lot of cooked red meat may increase the risk slightly too.”
How can researchers and healthcare professionals support prostate cancer patients, and what future directions should the field include? As prostate cancer is a highly individualized disease, Mr Muir recognises, personalised medicine should play an important role: “[Prostate cancer] is a complex field with many different factors, and each man should be offered an entirely bespoke treatment plan.”

ecancermedicalscience is supporting #ProstateCancerAwarenessMonth on Twitter – follow @ecancer for links to free articles and videos. Look for ecancermedicalscience’s forthcoming Special Issue on the topic of Prostate Cancer in Black Men.