Benign prostatic hyperplasia, a noncancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, is the most common benign tumor found in men. As is true for prostate cancer, BPH occurs more often in the West than in Eastern countries, such as Japan and China, and it may be more common among black people.

As a patient you may have symptoms that you’re wondering about which may reflect benign prostatic hypertrophy.  Your physician will also go through a list of questions, and the International Prostate Symptoms Score Questionnaire can help identify these symptoms. These symptoms include a feeling of incomplete bladder emptying, frequency of going to the bathroom several times during the day, intermittency of stopping and starting.