What symptoms can metastases cause?
Metastases of a prostate carcinoma very often cause further complaints in addition to the symptoms already mentioned. Tumour cells can spread throughout the body via the blood vessels and lymphatic system. Often, the prostate carcinoma metastasizes first into the lymph nodes, whereby the local lymph node stations of the pelvis (pelvic lymph nodes) are usually affected first.
The lymph node metastases impede lymph drainage and lead to the development of so-called lymphedema. In lymphedema, the lymph fluid accumulates and the legs become thick. In most cases, the metastases occur in the bone, with the lumbar spine being one of the most frequent localizations.Those affected have back pain and possibly sensitivity disorders.
The bone metastases cause increased bone remodeling, which increases the calcium level in the blood and can lead to kidney damage. The high calcium level can cause severe cardiac arrhythmia, which is potentially life-threatening. Another organ that is often affected by metastases is the brain. Patients then suffer from headaches, dizziness, clouding of consciousness or speech disorders, among other things. In principle, however, metastases of a prostate tumor can colonize any organ (liver, lung, kidney, gastrointestinal tract) and therefore cause a variety of clinical pictures.
What do the symptoms look like in the final stage?
End-stage prostate cancer, like most other advanced malignant tumors, causes general disease symptoms. These include fatigue and exhaustion, loss of appetite, weight loss and anemia. End-stage patients often suffer from severe pain, which can occur in different places.
Thanks to modern medicine, the pain can nowadays be relieved by appropriate medication and the patients do not have to suffer. Once the tumor has reached a certain size, it crosses the borders of the prostate and grows into the surrounding tissue. As a result, the affected patients have difficulty urinating.
Blood in the urine or semen, incontinence, interruption of the urine stream and urinary retention (inability to urinate) may occur. In advanced stages, prostate cancer has metastasized to the lymph nodes and internal organs of the body. Depending on which organ is affected, a wide variety of symptoms can develop. Very often, osseous metastases cause back pain in the lumbar spine.
