How to Know If Prostate Cancer Spreads
- 1). Bone pain is one of the most common symptoms of prostate cancer that has spread. According to information from the American Cancer Society, bone pain occurs where prostate cancer metastasizes, or spreads into the bones. This can trigger localized and persistent pain in the bones of the body, most commonly beginning in the bones closest to the prostate--those of the hip, lower back and upper legs.
- 2). Additional symptoms of advanced prostate cancer include unexpected or inexplicable bone fractures. These can occur where the cancer has spread into the bones, as this will weaken the overall structure of the bone, possibly resulting in stress fractures which would be otherwise improbable.
According to the Mayo Clinic, another symptom of advanced prostate cancer is spinal compression, so if you find yourself losing height that might be another sign that prostate cancer has begun spreading throughout the body. Other signs include a significant and noticeable loss of energy coupled with unexplained weight loss. - 3). Note that these symptoms are merely indicators of potential problems, and are not definitive. The only real method for discovering whether prostate cancer has spread is to consult your doctor for a regime of cancer testing. According to the ACS, testing for advanced cancer involves searching for additional tumors, fluid deposits in the body, examining the blood and performing imaging tests such as X-rays. These will provide a more concrete answer than merely attempting guesswork based on symptoms, so wait for the results before you convince yourself that your prostate cancer has spread for sure.
