Enlarged Prostate

What is the relationship between BPH and prostate cancer?

A man can have BPH and prostate cancer at the same time. And, prostate cancer is sometimes diagnosed when urinary symptoms associated with BPH are being evaluated. But the two conditions are completely independent.

For example, having BPH does not increase the risk of prostate cancer. The screening studies for prostate cancer have not shown that men with BPH are at an increased risk of prostate cancer when compared to men the same age who do not have urinary symptoms. And, studies that have followed men who have had surgery to relieve symptoms of BPH have shown no increase in risk of cancer compared to men without the condition.