The truth behind five common fears about prostate cancer

If you’ve just been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you’re probably finding there’s a lot of information to take in. You might be tempted to trawl the internet or speak to friends and family about your concerns. But remember, there are many common misunderstandings about prostate cancer.  

To help you separate rumour from reality, we’ve broken down the facts behind five of the most common prostate cancer myths.

1. Treatment isn’t always the best course of action

On the face of it, getting diagnosed with prostate cancer and choosing not to have treatment sounds confusing. Why wouldn’t you take action to stop it spreading? 

But if your doctor has suggested active surveillance, this means your prostate cancer is localised - it’s contained within your prostate - and the risk of it spreading is low. Treating it straight away may actually cause more problems than the cancer itself. 

Remember, if you’re on active surveillance your cancer will be routinely monitored and you’ll be offered treatment if it shows signs of growing more quickly. 

Your doctor may also suggest ‘watchful waiting’, which is another way of monitoring cancer that isn’t causing problems - but with some differences from active surveillance.

Still have questions? You might find the following support and information useful:

• Join our active surveillance online support group. 

• Keep track by downloading or ordering our active surveillance diary.

• Watch our webinar on active surveillance.

• Learn more in our fact sheets about active surveillance and watchful waiting.

• Find out about tests on our web-pages, What do my test results mean?, The PSA blood test and Prostate biopsy results: PIN and ASAP.

• Read Mike’s active surveillance story – but remember everyone’s experience will be a bit different.

2. Prostate cancer doesn’t always cause incontinence

This is a very common concern, but having prostate cancer doesn’t mean you’re suddenly going to lose control of your bladder. 

Incontinence is not a symptom of prostate cancer. However, for some men, a sudden urge to wee can be, so you might leak urine if you don’t get to the toilet in time. 

Most men with prostate cancer will only have to wear incontinence pads when they’re recovering from surgery to remove their prostate (known as a prostatectomy). This is because surgery can damage the nerves and muscles that control when you wee. 

Pelvic floor muscle exercises help with this, and most men regain control within three months. If you experience problems for longer than this, you can use an incontinence service for more support. And if you’re still having trouble after a year, there are surgical options that may also help.

Here are a few places where you can find more information and support:

• Watch our webinar on living with incontinence.

• Use TENA’s Product Selector tool and receive an exclusive money-off coupon.

• Learn more in our fact sheets on urinary problems after prostate cancer treatment and pelvic floor muscle exercises.

• Get involved with our ‘Boys need Bins’ campaign.

3. Having surgery to remove your prostate doesn’t mean you can't enjoy sex

It’s true that sex and masturbation will be different for a while after your surgery, but sexual pleasure is by no means off the table. 

Depending on the location of your cancer, some of the nerves that enable you to get an erection may need to be removed during surgery. But your surgeon will aim to save these nerves, which means your ability to get an erection spontaneously can recover over time. 

If these nerves can’t be saved – or if they take a little longer than normal to recover – there are treatments you can have after your surgery to help you get an erection. These treatments also ensure regular blood flow, which keeps your penis healthy while you can’t get an erection naturally. You might hear this referred to as ‘penile rehabilitation’. 

It’s also important to know that you can still have an orgasm without an erection or ejaculating. You might need to approach sex differently for a while, but you’ll still be able to enjoy intimacy, connection and sexual pleasure.

Looking for more information? Here are some resources that might help:

• Watch our webinar on sexual side effects and wellbeing.

• Learn more in our fact sheet on radical prostatectomy and our booklet, Prostate cancer and your sex life.

• Read about other men’s real-life stories.

4. You can continue to lead a healthy and active lifestyle with prostate cancer

When you get a cancer diagnosis, you might feel a little different. Your routines may change and you might assume you can no longer do some of the activities you used to do. 

Sometimes you won’t feel comfortable exercising. And after surgery, you should avoid heavy exercise for four to six weeks. If you’re having chemotherapy, you should also avoid too much contact with others, such as playing team sports. This is because your immune system is lowered on chemotherapy, so your body might find it harder to fight off infections. 

But it’s important to remember that regular exercise can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle and it may even help you manage some of the side effects of treatment, such as fatigue. There are lots of enjoyable ways you can introduce gentle exercises into your routines, and move a bit more while you’re at home too.

Here are some more places to find information and ideas for staying active:

• Watch our webinar on physical activity and prostate cancer.

• Learn more in our webpages on physical activity and prostate cancer and physical activity and fatigue.

5. Getting prostate cancer doesn’t necessarily mean you can't have children

It’s natural that a cancer diagnosis would trigger concerns about whether you can have children in the future. But having prostate cancer doesn’t necessarily rule this out.

If you have surgery to remove your prostate, you won’t be able to have children naturally. But you can store your sperm in a sperm bank, so it can be used at a later time. 

After radiotherapy, chemotherapy and brachytherapy, you may still be fertile but it’s likely you’ll have no or very little fluid when you ejaculate. It’s best to use contraception for a while after these treatments because they can cause changes to your sperm that might affect your baby. It’s a good idea to speak to your doctor about how long you should wait before trying to conceive. Or, as with surgery, you can store your sperm in a sperm bank.

If you were thinking about having children before your diagnosis, you can talk to your GP or specialist team, or get in touch with Macmillan Cancer Support or Fertility Network UK. There’s lots more information and support available too:

• Chat to a cancer fertility specialist at Fertility Network UK on 01424 732 361 – open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

• Learn more in our booklet, Prostate cancer and your sex life.

Wellbeing support that works for you

Prostate cancer can affect you physically, mentally and emotionally. Our Wellbeing Hub has support and information to help you take care of yourself. It’s for anyone affected by prostate cancer – whether you’re newly diagnosed, undergoing treatment, living with side effects or supporting a loved one with prostate cancer.

VISIT THE WELLBEING HUB