Many prostate problems share similar symptoms such as:

• A reduced or slower flow of urine.
• Taking a few moments longer to get the flow started.
• Needing to pass urine more frequently, especially at night.
• Dribbling urine.
• Needing to rush to the toilet.
• Feeling of not emptying your bladder fully.

If you notice any of these symptoms or indeed notice blood in your urine, you should visit your GP. Men who are over the age of 50 should have a regular prostate health check with their GP.

• Prostate Awareness
• Common Prostate Problems
• Prostate Cancer
• Diagnostic Test

Treatment options for patients with prostate disease include

• Active Surveillance/Watchful Waiting
• Surgery – Robotic/Laparoscopic/Open Prostatectomy, Orchidectomy, TURP
• Radiotherapy – External Beam, IMRT, IGRT, Radioactive Seed Implantation
• Brachytherapy – Radioactive Seed Implantation, HDR
• Hormone Therapy
• Chemotherapy

The Prostate Rapid Access Clinic, provides same day review and access to diagnostic tests as required for patients.  Access is by referral only – referral form and guide 

Suitable Patients

• Elevated PSA
• Abnormal/Hard DRE

Referrals 

• Consultant triaged

Appointments

• Centralised admin team coordainting all scheduling with patients

Reports

• Direct to referring physician. Urgent results followed up up verbally.

Patients will be guided through the service by our specialist urology nurse who offers counselling, reliable up-to-date specialist support and information in confidence. Appointments for this service can be made via our freephone appointment line, email and fax Monday to Friday 9am – 5pm.

Consultation and assessment €200 payable on the day of appointment

A common follow-up may include TRUS.  Day case procedures – such as TRUS – are fully covered by most plans

The prostate is a gland found only in men, at the base of the bladder, close to the back passage (rectum).  The urethra, the tube through which you urinate, runs through the centre of the prostate.  The prostate gland can get bigger with age and may press on the urethra, sometimes this causes problems passing urine.

• A reduced or slower flow of urine.
• Taking a few moments longer to get the flow started.
• Needing to pass urine more frequently, especially at night.
• Dribbling urine.
• Needing to rush to the toilet.
• Feeling of not emptying your bladder fully.

If you notice any of these symptoms or indeed notice blood in your urine, you should visit your doctor. It is recommended that men who are over the age of 50 should have a regular prostate health check with their GP.

Enlarged Prostate or Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH)

This is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland. This simply means the prostate has grown in size. This is common in middle aged and elderly men. This is not a life-threatening problem but for some men it can cause problems urinating, some of which need treatment

Prostatitis

Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate gland. It can be caused by an infection requiring treatment with antibiotics; although infection is not always present. Symptoms of prostatitis include pain around the back passage, in the testicles or in the area around the testicles. Some men experience pain on passing urine.

Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate gland change and start to grow quickly. These cancer cells can affect how the prostate works normally and after a long period of time they may spread to other organs of the body. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis in men.

Prostate cancer is more common in older men. In many cases these cancer cells do not grow very quickly and do not cause any problems or symptoms for many years. In older men, small areas of cancer cells within the prostate gland are common.

In older men, prostate cancer cells can grow more quickly and spread to other parts of the body, requiring treatment to manage and prevent the spread of the disease.

Cancers that are found within the prostate gland only are known as early prostate cancer. Men with early prostate cancer are unlikely to have any symptoms at all. Prostate cancers usually only cause symptoms when they are large enough to disturb your bladder or press on the tube that drains urine. For that reason, the symptoms of prostate cancer, when they appear, are like the symptoms of an enlarged prostate BPH (click to read more).

In Ireland, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, after skin cancer. Each year about 2500 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed. This means that 1 in 12 Irishmen will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime. Although there are many men with this disease, most men do not die from it.

The cause of prostate cancer is unknown at present. But there are things called risk factors that can increase your chance of getting the disease.

Risks

• Age – Your risk increases as you get older. Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer are aged over 50.
• Family history – Men whose brother or father developed prostate cancer at a young age have an increased risk.
• Diet – Men who eat a lot of red meat and high-fat dairy products and not enough green vegetables have a slightly higher chance of getting prostate cancer.
• Weight – Obesity or being overweight is a risk factor for a number of cancers

For more information on Prostate Cancer select one of the following:

• Diagnosis
• Types
• Treatment

There are a number of different tests which can be used in the initial diagnosis of a prostate problem and subsequent staging of a cancer diagnosis. These include:

• PSA test
• Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)
• Transrectal Ultrasound Scan (TRUS)
• Transrectal Needle Biopsy of the prostate
• Other tests

The PSA test

This is a blood test to measure the PSA Protein specific antigen level in your blood. A raised PSA level can be a sign of prostate cancer but more often it is caused by something less serious like an inflamed prostate or an enlarged prostate that comes with ageing.

Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)

This involves your doctor physically checking how the prostate gland feels, feeling for abnormal signs, such as s lumpy or hard prostate. The test is quick but may be a little uncomfortable.

Transrectal Ultrasound Scan (TRUS)

This is a scan using sound waves to build up a picture of the tissues inside your body. To scan the prostate gland, a small device called a probe is passed into your back passage and an image of the prostate appears on a computer screen. This scan is used to measure the size of the prostate. The scan may be uncomfortable but only takes a few minutes.

Transrectal Needle Biopsy of the prostate

The best way to diagnose prostate cancer is by taking samples of the tissues (biopsy). It is usually done at the same time as an ultrasound.

Other Tests

If the tests show that you have prostate cancer, you may need other tests. This is called staging and can help your doctor to decide on the right treatment for you.

• Bone scan
• X-rays
• CT scan

For more information on Prostate Cancer Diagnosis please click here.