Is an enlarged prostate cancer?

If you have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, you may be worried that you have cancer. That's especially true after King Charles went into the hospital to treat an enlarged prostate, only to emerge with a cancer diagnosis. However, for most men, an enlarged prostate and cancer are two completely separate diagnoses.

What is BPH?

When you have an enlarged prostate, also referred to as benign prostatic hyperplasia, it means your prostate gland has grown, but for reasons other than cancer. (After all, benign means a non-cancerous growth.) Still, this condition can cause many intrusive symptoms, often prompting men to seek treatment for an enlarged prostate, either through lifestyle changes, medications, surgery or minimally invasive procedures such as PAE (prostatic artery embolization in Texas.)

Enlarged prostate and cancer: can you have both conditions at the same time?

According to the National Cancer Institute, symptoms of BPH can mimic those of prostate cancer. (Common symptoms may include an urgent need to pass urine during the day, or waking up multiple times a night to pass urine. You may also experience a reduced urinary flow with both of these conditions.) However, while it is possible to have both BPH and prostate cancer or other men's health concerns, having an enlarged prostate does not increase your risk for cancer.

Now, while a BPH diagnosis does not affect your cancer risk, men who suffer from this condition could experience severely negative impacts on their quality of life. Plus, treating BPH relieves symptoms of an enlarged prostate. So, if you do have additional health concerns, treating BPH could help bring clarity to your diagnosis.

Ready to relieve your enlarged prostate symptoms, but want to avoid surgery? Click here to request an appointment at the Texas Prostate Institute. We can help you decide if Prostatic Artery Embolization, a minimally invasive procedure that reduces prostate size by cutting off its blood flow, is the right treatment to relieve your discomfort.