Prostate cancer: What you need to know

Earlier today, Stephen Fry announced that he received treatment for prostate cancer late last year.

In a video on his blog, the 60-year-old presenter, comedian and author announced he underwent surgery to remove his prostate and 11 lymph nodes before Christmas after being diagnosed following an appointment for the flu jab.

Fry said that doctors were positive following the procedure and told him: "It's all been got."

The former QI presenter said: "For the last 2 months I've been in the throes of a rather unwelcome and unexpected adventure.

"I'm sorry I haven't felt able to talk about it till now, but here I am explaining what has been going on."

What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with over 40,000 new cases diagnosed every year, according to the NHS.

The prostate is a small gland only found in men. About the size of a golf ball, it is located between the penis and the bladder and surrounds the urethra.

What are the symptoms?

Most men with early prostate cancer do not get symptoms, according to Prostate UK. They say that the reason for this is that sometimes the cancer will not grow in a way that impacts urination.

If it does, or is further along, symptoms such as difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder, a weak flow when you urinate, a feeling that your bladder hasn't emptied properly, dribbling urine after you finish urinating, needing to urinate more often, especially at night or a sudden urge to urinate, are all reasons to be checked out.

If prostate cancer spreads to other parts of the body or breaks out of the prostate, symptoms can include back pain, hip pain or pelvis pain, problems getting or keeping an erection, blood in the urine or semen, and unexplained weight loss.

Prostate UK said that while these symptoms occur due to prostate cancer, occasionally they can also be signs of other illnesses such as an infection, diabetes or the effect of medicines.

How is it diagnosed?

There is no single test for prostate cancer and each option has its own risks and benefits which a doctor can explain.

The most commonly used tests for prostate cancer are blood tests, a physical examination of your prostate (known as a digital rectal examination or DRE) and a biopsy, according to the NHS.

We wrote about prostate examinations here.

How is prostate cancer treated?

Treatment is dependent on the person's circumstances. When treatment is necessary, the aim is to cure or control the disease so it does not impact the individual's daily life or life expectancy.

Treatment can be split into these options: watchful waiting; active surveillance; radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate); radiotherapy; brachytherapy (a form of radiotherapy delivered inside the prostate); hormone therapy; chemotherapy; steroids; trans-urethral resection of the prostate (TURP - where a thin piece of wire is inserted into the urethra to remove parts of the prostate); and high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU - an ultrasound probe inserted into the rectum that releases high-frequency sound waves through the wall of the rectum).

With so many different options, more can be found out about each of them here.