Patients typically receive routine imaging during treatment for benign prostatic hyperplasia that can reveal other unrelated issues, Brawley says. A CT scan or MRI of the pelvis or abdominal region can show signs of kidney or bladder cancer, for instance.
"Now, we have CAT scans and MRIs that are so good that many times we pick up incidental things," Narula said. "And then, in certain procedures, you're using scopes."
The scope used during the prostate surgery may also reveal signs of bladder cancer. "If you go past the (prostate), you get into the bladder," Brawley says, "and that's where you might see a bladder problem, which frequently look like cauliflower growing into the bladder."
While kidney cancer doesn't usually come with noticeable symptoms in its early stages, Brawley explains, people with bladder cancer may exhibit symptoms that overlap with those of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
"Some bladder cancers can cause urine-related symptoms of urgency or frequency," Gregg agrees.
More rarely, doctors may see signs of colorectal cancer during these routine steps of treatment for an enlarged prostate, Brawley says. Or there's always a chance that other conditions, such as lymphoma, might be diagnosed via a chest X-ray for a completely unrelated issue, he adds.
None of these cancers are directly related to or caused by an enlarged prostate, Brawley explains.
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