Taichung urologist warns prostate cancer may be hereditary
台中泌尿科醫師警告攝護腺癌可能具有遺傳性
| TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An 80-year-old man in Taichung diagnosed with prostate cancer after experiencing frequent and difficult urination was shocked to learn that his two sons also had the disease after undergoing screening.
Huang Pin-rui (黃品叡), a urologist at Lee General Hospital, said Thursday the patient sought treatment after waking three to four times each night to urinate. Due to the hereditary nature of prostate cancer, his sons accompanied him to the hospital and agreed to be screened, per CNA. Both men, in their 50s, had never undergone prostate exams and showed no symptoms of prostate disease, such as blood in the urine or urination difficulties. However, blood tests revealed elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, and follow-up exams confirmed they too had early-stage prostate cancer. Huang explained that men with a father who has prostate cancer are two to three times more likely to develop the disease compared to the general population. He urged families with a history of the condition to undergo early screening, even in the absence of symptoms. The two sons said they were stunned by the diagnosis, as neither smoked or drank, and both felt healthy. “It was already hard enough that our father had prostate cancer — we never expected it would happen to us too,” they said. Huang added that early symptoms of prostate cancer often resemble those of an enlarged prostate and include a thin urine stream, frequent urination, or difficulty urinating. |
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| Sean Scanlan Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-08-07 |
