Do you know the signs of prostate cancer?

Blog - 2 March 2026

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. In the UK, around 1 in 8 men are diagnosed each year, rising to 1 in 4 for Black men. Knowing what to look out for can help you spot changes early and get support.

A photo of an older couple dancing together happily in a living room.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. And if you’re over 50, or you’re Black, or you have a family history of the disease, then your risk is even higher.

If you have any of these risk factors or if you have any symptoms, speak to your GP. They can talk to you about your risk, and about the tests that are used to diagnose prostate cancer.

What is prostate cancer?

The prostate is a small, walnut-size gland under the bladder. Prostate cancer starts when cells in the prostate grow out of control.

Men, trans women, non-binary people who were assigned male at birth and some intersex people who have prostrates are at risk of prostate cancer. For more information about trans women and prostate cancer visit Prostate Cancer UK.

Prostate cancer usually starts to grow on the outer part of the prostate. This means it does not press on the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis (urethra) and cause symptoms, until the cancer has grown or spread.

If this happens, it can cause changes to the way you pee, such as:

finding it difficult to start peeing or straining to pee
having a weak flow of urine
"stop start" peeing
needing to pee urgently or often, or both
feeling like you still need to pee when you've just finished
peeing during the night

Other symptoms can include:

erectile dysfunction (being unable to get or keep an erection)
blood in your urine or blood in your semen
lower back pain and losing weight without trying to (these may be symptoms of advanced prostate cancer)