Prostate Cancer — NCLEX Cheat Sheet
Most common male cancerAlso known as: prostate carcinoma · prostatic cancer
Use this quick-reference guide to spot, treat, and prevent Prostate Cancer on the NCLEX. Keep it handy during review and on exam day!
🩺📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet
🩺 Signs
- Often asymptomatic early
- Urinary hesitancy, weak stream, nocturia
- Late → bone pain (mets to bone)
📌 Dx
- DRE → hard nodular prostate
- PSA ↑ → biopsy confirms
- Draw PSA before DRE
📌 Risk
- Age >65, African-American, family hx
✅ Do
- Post-prostatectomy → CBI, monitor clots
- Pelvic floor (Kegel) for incontinence
- Bright red drainage/clots → report
📚 Prostate Cancer — full study notes
The cheat sheet above is your quick recall card. These notes go deeper — what it is, what to do first, what must be reported, and what to teach.
Key points
Understand these first- Often asymptomatic early; later it may cause urinary obstruction symptoms similar to BPH (weak stream, hesitancy, frequency, nocturia).
- A hard, irregular, fixed nodule on digital rectal exam is suspicious for malignancy.
- PSA may be elevated but is not specific; it is also raised by BPH, prostatitis, and recent manipulation.
- Risk factors include increasing age, African American race, family history, and high-fat diet.
- Bone is the most common site of metastasis, producing bone pain and pathologic fractures.
- Treatment options include active surveillance, prostatectomy, radiation, and hormonal (androgen-deprivation) therapy; erectile dysfunction and incontinence are common effects.
Nursing priorities
What to do, in order- Monitor urinary function and patency; assess for retention and provide catheter care after prostatectomy.
- Manage post-surgical bleeding and, with continuous bladder irrigation, keep outflow draining and titrate to keep it light pink.
- Assess and manage bone pain in metastatic disease; promote safety to prevent pathologic fractures.
- Support coping with incontinence and erectile dysfunction; teach pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises.
- Educate about and support choice among treatment options.
Red flags — report now
Escalate immediately- Bright red blood or large clots and decreasing/obstructed catheter output after prostatectomy require immediate reporting.
- New severe back/bone pain or inability to move limbs may indicate metastasis or spinal cord compression; report urgently.
- Signs of urinary retention with no output despite urge need prompt intervention.
Labs & values
Numbers to know- PSA (prostate-specific antigen): elevated may indicate cancer (normal <4 ng/mL)
- Biopsy with Gleason score: grades aggressiveness
- Alkaline phosphatase: may rise with bone metastasis
- Testosterone: monitored during androgen-deprivation therapy
Patient teaching
What patients must know- Discuss PSA testing and screening decisions with the provider, especially after age 50 (earlier if high risk).
- Perform Kegel pelvic floor exercises to improve urinary control after surgery.
- Report blood in urine, inability to void, or worsening bone pain.
- Understand that hormonal therapy may cause hot flashes, decreased libido, and bone thinning.
- Maintain a healthy diet and follow up regularly for PSA monitoring.
❓ Prostate Cancer: NCLEX FAQs
What are the priority nursing interventions for Prostate Cancer?
Monitor urinary function and patency; assess for retention and provide catheter care after prostatectomy. Manage post-surgical bleeding and, with continuous bladder irrigation, keep outflow draining and titrate to keep it light pink. Assess and manage bone pain in metastatic disease; promote safety to prevent pathologic fractures. Support coping with incontinence and erectile dysfunction; teach pelvic floor (Kegel) exercises.
What are the warning signs of Prostate Cancer a nurse must report?
Bright red blood or large clots and decreasing/obstructed catheter output after prostatectomy require immediate reporting. New severe back/bone pain or inability to move limbs may indicate metastasis or spinal cord compression; report urgently. Signs of urinary retention with no output despite urge need prompt intervention.
What do I need to know about Prostate Cancer for the NCLEX?
Often asymptomatic early; later it may cause urinary obstruction symptoms similar to BPH (weak stream, hesitancy, frequency, nocturia). A hard, irregular, fixed nodule on digital rectal exam is suspicious for malignancy. PSA may be elevated but is not specific; it is also raised by BPH, prostatitis, and recent manipulation. Risk factors include increasing age, African American race, family history, and high-fat diet.
What patient teaching is important for Prostate Cancer?
Discuss PSA testing and screening decisions with the provider, especially after age 50 (earlier if high risk). Perform Kegel pelvic floor exercises to improve urinary control after surgery. Report blood in urine, inability to void, or worsening bone pain. Understand that hormonal therapy may cause hot flashes, decreased libido, and bone thinning.
Quick Tip
Often asymptomatic early; later it may cause urinary obstruction symptoms similar to BPH (weak stream, hesitancy, frequency, nocturia).
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