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Leg Pain & Prostate Cancer

Leg pain is a symptom of prostate cancer; however, men don't usually expect that disease when they go to the doctor with pain. More often than not, it's dismissed or brought up to a physician who would not normally test for the disease, like an orthopedist. Leg pain should not be ignored before and after a prostate cancer diagnosis.

  1. Misconceptions

    • Leg pain can be caused by anything from pulled muscles to vein problems. People don't think of it as a symptom of prostate cancer, yet up to 40 percent of males with the disease have leg pain.

    Significance

    • Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among males. Though routine PSA screening for older men is done, there are still thousands dying from the disease every year. Leg pain could be a signal to all doctors to test for this disease in males.

    Considerations

    • While leg pain can be an early symptom of prostate cancer, it can also be a late-stage one. Bone pain and edema in the lower extremities can be due to metastases--spreading of the cancer.

    Treatment

    • The treatment of the leg pain will depend on its cause. If the leg pain is a signal of beginning prostate cancer, treating the disease should lessen it. On the other hand, if the leg pain is from metastasis of the disease, pain killers may be the only treatment.

    Warning

    • Leg pain should not be ignored. It should be clearly stated to a physician if it is a new symptom, as it is an indication that prostate cancer might need to be investigated.

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