20 February 2025
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among men, yet there remains to be many myths and misconceptions about it. PCFA’s Head of Telenursing and Supportive Care Programs, Bernie Riley, debunks some of the most common myths.
Myth 1: Only Older Men Get Prostate Cancer
While it's true that prostate cancer is more common in men over the age of 65, it can also affect younger men. Each year 1,400 men under 55 are diagnosed with prostate cancer.
If you are a man with a family history of prostate cancer you are at higher risk of developing prostate cancer and should discuss PSA testing from age 40-45 with your GP.
Myth 2: Prostate cancer always has symptoms
Many people believe that prostate cancer always presents with noticeable symptoms, but this is not the case. In its early stages, prostate cancer often has no symptoms at all.
If symptoms are present, they may include alterations in urinary flow or patterns-going more urgently, frequently, getting up more at night or more difficulty passing urine, changes in erectile function, blood in the urine or semen, and pain in the back, thighs, or pelvis. However, these symptoms can also be caused by other conditions, so it's crucial to get regular check-ups, understand your individual risk and consider testing.
Myth 3: All prostate cancers are the same
Research shows there are at least 29 types of prostate cancer, which can be indolent, harmless, or aggressive. There are 4 different stages of the disease, 5 different grade risk groups and more than 10 different combinations of Gleason score. When it comes to responses to treatment and discussing treatment options, many factors are considered, and each person’s cancer may behave differently to the treatment received.
Myth 3: Vasectomies cause prostate cancer
There is a persistent myth that having a vasectomy increases the risk of developing prostate cancer. However, extensive research over the past thirty years has shown vasectomies do not cause prostate cancer. Men who have had a vasectomy should not be concerned about an increased risk of prostate cancer due to the procedure, and like any man, should continue to discuss their risk of developing prostate cancer with their GP.
Myth 5: Cycling causes prostate cancer
A 2014 British study is often blamed for this myth which hypothesized that repeated trauma and inflammation caused to the perineum resulted in higher rates of prostate cancer. But there were many confounding issues in this study. A 2020 worldwide study of over 8,000 cyclists found there to be no association between cycling and rates of prostate cancer. However, men though should be aware that cycling or heavy exercise or ejaculation may raise your PSA blood levels for several days and should take this into account when having a PSA blood test.
Myth 6: Prostate biopsy cause cancer to spread
There a very scarce and isolated case reports of prostate cancer cells appearing in the track left by a needle following a biopsy. These case reports have NOT increased over the past 20 years despite a worldwide increase in the number of people having prostate biopsies and the risk of this seeding is said to be close to 0.1%. There is evidence from other cancers that any cells which are displaced from their parent tumour lose their source of nutrition and blood supply and are no longer viable.
Myth 7: Drugs used to treat animals who have low incidence of cancer can be used to treat prostate cancer effectively
Antiparasitic medicines like Fenbendazole and Ivermectin used to treat worms and parasites in animals continue to be investigated in pre-clinical laboratory studies on cancer cells and in mice with different types of cancer. While these types of studies are ongoing, no human clinical trials have been conducted looking at responses and outcomes in prostate cancer patients. As such there is no safe or effective dose of these types of drugs and the use in Australia is restricted to treatment of scabies and other parasitic diseases. The path from preclinical findings to real world treatment is not straight forward because often the findings from petri dishes or preclinical animal studies do not translate to humans. Anyone considering taking these drugs to prevent or treat prostate cancer should seek the advice of their treating doctor or a doctor specialising in treatment of prostate cancer.
For further information on any of these myths or to ask about a myth or question you may have heard, call our Telenursing team on 1800 22 00 99 or email us at telenurse@pcfa.org.au.
Further information
https://www.prostate.org.au/testing-and-diagnosis/psa-testing
https://www.prostate.org.au/risk-and-symptoms/symptoms
https://www.prostate.org.au/testing-and-diagnosis/grading-genetics/your-gleason-score-isup-grade
Sources:
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2024). Cancer data in Australia. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia
Baboudjian, M., Rajwa, P., Barret, E., Beauval, J. B., Brureau, L., Créhange, G., Dariane, C., Fiard, G., Fromont, G., Gauthé, M., Mathieu, R., Renard-Penna, R., Roubaud, G., Ruffion, A., Sargos, P., Rouprêt, M., Ploussard, G., & Prostate Cancer Committee of the Association Française d'Urologie CC-AFU (2022). Vasectomy and Risk of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. European urology open science, 41, 35–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euros.2022.04.012
An Observational Study of Erectile Dysfunction, Infertility, and Prostate Cancer in Regular Cyclists: Cycling for Health UK Study https://doi.org/10.1089/jomh.2014.001
https://sperlingprostatecenter.com/truth-biopsy-track-seeding/
Koupparis A, Mehmi A, Rava M, et al. Cycling and men’s health: A worldwide survey in association the Global Cycling Network. Journal of Clinical Urology. 2020;13(5):371-377. doi:10.1177/2051415820915389
