Home > BPH vs. Prostate Cancer: Can One Lead to the Other?
Prostate cancer and BPH are often brought up in the same conversation. Given that they are both conditions that affect the prostate, it is not surprising that people often group them together.
However, people often assume that a link exists between the two conditions. Is this true? Can BPH lead to prostate cancer? Here, we will explain the difference between prostate cancer and BPH, as well as their common symptoms and causes, and determine once and for all if these two conditions are somehow connected.
Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the prostate gland. Most of those with prostate cancer have it diagnosed prior to it spreading beyond their prostate gland. Undergoing treatment at this stage will often eliminate the cancer.
Prostate cancer is unfortunately a very common type of cancer. It is the second most common cancer affecting men and people AMAB (assigned male at birth), with skin cancer being the first. It is predicted that 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.
Prostate cancer in its early stages rarely causes any symptoms. However, as the disease progresses, the following symptoms may occur:
So, what exactly causes prostate cancer? It is still unclear. Similarly to other cancers, prostate cancer forms when cells divide faster than usual. The accumulation of these abnormal cells form a tumor that grows in order to invade nearby tissue. Over time, some of these cells can break away and spread to other parts of the body.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia – more commonly known as BPH – is an enlarged prostate gland. It is a fairly common condition as men get older. The prostate is a small gland that starts out about the size of a walnut, and as men age, the gland becomes enlarged.
Your prostate surrounds part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen out of your penis. When you have BPH, your prostate is larger than usual, which squeezes the urethra. This could lead to many bothersome urinary symptoms.
BPH symptoms are often mild at first, but if left untreated, can become a lot more serious.
As the prostate enlarges, it can partially block the flow of urine from the bladder, causing urine to back up in the bladder. This can increase the frequency of urination and potentially cause urinary tract or kidney problems.
Common symptoms include the following:
It is still quite unclear what causes the prostate to get bigger. One common theory is that it is due to changes in the balance of your sex hormones as you get older. As you age, the amount of testosterone in your body decreases, while your estrogen levels remain the same. This imbalance may cause your prostate cells to grow.
With this being said, does there actually exist a link between prostate cancer and BPH? The answer is no.
While both conditions affect the prostate and have similar risk factors, having BPH will not increase your risk of developing prostate cancer. Benign refers to “not cancerous”, and hyperplasia means “abnormal cell growth”. Additionally, BPH is a very common condition for aging men, and does not necessarily mean that men who have it will also go on to develop prostate cancer.
However, the symptoms are very similar to each other. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, it is recommended to contact your doctor to screen for possibilities of BPH or prostate cancer.
BPH Canada offers treatment for both prostate cancer and BPH. For prostate cancer, we offer NanoKnife Focal Therapy and SpaceOAR. For BPH, we have a wide range of minimally invasive therapies (MIST) and other treatment options.
Do not wait for your symptoms to worsen. Act now and book a consultation with our team of dedicated professionals today.