Nightly bathroom habit was missed sign of common men's cancer: 'I didn't know'

A father was diagnosed with prostate cancer after chalking his nightly bathroom trips up to drinking too much fluid before bed, as reported by SWNS.

"I would wake up in the middle of the night and go to the loo a couple of times, but I never thought too much of it," Ed Matthews, who lives in London, told the news outlet.

Matthews wrote off the early warning signs — until he received a shocking diagnosis in April 2025.

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The avid golfer and skier said he felt "fit and healthy" when he went in for a routine health check provided by his employer last April.

There, he underwent a prostate-specific antigen test, which showed a reading of 4.2. (Traditionally, a PSA level under 4.0 ng/mL is considered "normal.")

While the number was slightly higher than normal, doctors considered it "nothing too alarming." They did, however, refer Matthews to a urologist as a precaution.

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When an MRI scan produced inconclusive results, Matthews underwent a biopsy. Less than three weeks after he went for the original check-up, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"From being a fit human being all your life, your world’s turned upside down," he told SWNS, adding that it felt as though he’d been thrown into a "world of pain."

"It was an emotional shock … No one ever wants to be told they’ve got cancer."

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Matthews underwent robotic surgery to remove his prostate last July, and tests since then haven’t shown any traces of cancer.

"I never had any issues with blood, but it was about a year or 18 months of going to the toilet more frequently," he said.

Matthews said he "didn’t really know" what the prostate was before receiving his diagnosis.

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The prostate is a small, firm, partly muscular gland that helps make up the male reproductive system, according to Cleveland Clinic's website.

For every 100 American males, 13 will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives, the above source stated. Approximately 35,770 people in the U.S. die from the disease each year.

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Matthews is now planning to run the London Marathon for Prostate Cancer UK to raise awareness.

"I was very open and honest and told people what happened, and I think that’s caused a lot of people, friends, connections to go off and get tested," he told SWNS.

Early-stage prostate cancer rarely causes symptoms. However, as the disease progresses, changes include a frequent, sometimes urgent, need to urinate, especially at night. Other signs include weak urine flow, flow that starts and stops, and blood when using the restroom, per Cleveland Clinic.

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Experts advise people experiencing any of these symptoms to contact their healthcare provider.