March is prostate cancer awareness month. In the UK, about 1 in 8 men are diagnosed with it each year. For Black men the rate is 1 in 4. If you are a trans woman or are non-binary assigned male at birth, you also need to be aware of prostate cancer and its symptoms.

Prostate cancer is a common cancer, and starts in the cells of the prostate. The prostate is a small gland that is just below the bladder and in front of the rectum (back passage).

Prostate cancer symptoms

You may not experience any symptoms in the early stage of prostate cancer. It is only when the cancer is large enough to press on the tube that carries the urine from the bladder (urethra) that symptoms can occur. These can include:

• needing to pee more often than usual, especially at night
• difficulty peeing – for example, a weak flow or having to strain to start peeing
• feeling like you have not completely emptied your bladder

Sometimes the symptoms of benign (non-cancerous) prostate conditions and prostate cancer are similar. If you have any prostate cancer symptoms, it is important to have them checked by your doctor. Your GP can do tests to find out if you need a referral to a specialist doctor.

Learn more about prostate cancer - click here.