Common Prostate Diseases

Benign prostate enlargement (BPE)

Benign prostate enlargement (BPE) is the most common prostate-related cause of urinary symptoms.

BPE should not be confused with prostate cancer - the two conditions are quite different and one cannot turn into the other.

For more details on BPE see our section on urinary symptoms.

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is inflammation of the prostate and another condition which can cause urinary symptoms.

Prostatitis can also cause pain in the lower abdomen, pain urinating, chills and fever and can be a very debilitating condition.

For more information, see this information on prostatitis.

Prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is less common than benign prostate enlargement, but, is now the most frequently diagnosed cancer amongst Australian men, after skin cancer.

Prostate cancer most often grows in the outer section of the prostate and does not usually cause symptoms at an early stage.

Understandably prostate cancer causes a great deal of concern in the community, however, there are many features of prostate cancer which make it one of the least threatening of cancers:

• Prostate cancer is usually slow growing.
• After diagnosis, a majority of men live, with a high quality of life, for 10 years or more.
• When caught early enough and treated with either surgery or radiotherapy, prostate cancer can be cured.