Not all cancers give out symptoms even at the early stages. Unless men at high risk for prostate cancer undergo periodical screening, it gets diagnosed only when cancer has metastasized – it means that cancer is growing and has spread outside the prostate gland to other nearby parts like the bladder, bones, and rectum. Metastatic cancer can also spread to lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and other tissues in the body.

These early warning signs can vary from person to person and could be mistaken as symptoms of other diseases.

1. Bladder and urinary issues
The prostate is located close to the bladder. And cancer in the prostate gland is quite likely to compress the bladder and the urethra. The urethra is a passage through which urine flows from the bladder to be pushed out of the body. If a tumor is compressing the urethra, it is likely to lead to problems while urinating. And if cancer has metastasized to the bladder, it can disrupt its normal function. Both of these situations can lead to the following:
Frequent urination and more so in the night
Urine leaks and continence
Bloody urine or in semen during ejaculation
The urge to urinate without actually passing urine

2. Bowel disruption
When cancer spreads, it affects the rectum as it is very close to the prostate land. Stomach ache, constipation, and bloody stools are early warning signs.

3. Fatigue
Unexplained fatigue is another symptom of any cancer. As cancer spreads, it covers the healthy cells and organs, disrupting their functions. If cancer from the prostate reaches the spine, this could lead to pain, swelling in your extremities, mainly legs and feet. You will feel pain and feel fatigued without any visible cause.

4. Sore groin
When cancer spreads out of the place of origin, it could first affect the lymph nodes. The function of the lymph nodes is to help clean up and filter body fluids. Lymph nodes are normally found in the neck, armpits, and groin. The lymph nodes closest to the prostate glands are found in the groin. Once cancer starts spreading to the lymph nodes, it will not function properly and drain the body fluids, resulting in swelling and pain in the groin.

5. Low back and hip pain
When cancer spreads through the body, it can spread to the bones in the hip and spine as they are close to the prostate gland. The healthy bones start to become brittle and are at risk of breaking and causing fractures. Cancer in the bone is very painful and can disrupt your normal life. As men age, one of the symptoms they ignore is pain, attributing it to growing old and bone and muscle degeneration; they hardly get medical advice. Persistent and either dull or severe pain in the bones will need urgent medical tests. If doctors do not see any outward or physical causes for the pain, they will prescribe diagnostic tests to rule out cancer as early as possible.

6. Breathing difficulty
The lungs are the other organs that could be affected by the spread of cancer in the lungs. If cancer from the prostate glands reaches the lungs, it could cause severe cough, breathlessness, infections, fluid buildup, and collapse.

7. Loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss
Aging can reduce appetite. However, if there is hardly any inclination to eat, it is a sign that cancer has spread to the liver.

Weight loss despite a normal diet is also a warning sign of cancer spreading.