Enlarged prostate not a sign of cancer

SAN ANTONIO, May 10 (UPI) -- A 10-year study of 19,000 men indicates the symptoms of an enlarged prostate are not associated with the risk of prostate cancer, U.S. researchers say.

Study trial leader Dr. Ian M. Thompson Jr. -- director of the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio -- says despite the recommendations of some health groups, the data suggest men and their physicians should instead look to a combination of prostate-specific antigen levels and other factors when assessing prostate cancer risk.

"Many organizations that speak to 'cancer-related symptoms' suggest that men with problems related to urination should be checked for prostate cancer," Thompson says in a statement. "What we demonstrated is that prostate enlargement symptoms are absolutely unassociated with risk of cancer."

More than 2,000 San Antonio men participated in the trial, which ran from 1993 to 2003.

"This means that you cannot rely on symptoms but, if you want to find prostate cancer early, you must examine the patient and measure PSA levels," Thompson says.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.