Tests for prostate cancer
When a man experiences some of the symptoms of prostate cancer, he should contact his health care provider as soon as possible. His doctor will want to perform certain tests to find out if the man really does have prostate cancer before he diagnoses him. Some men who have an increased risk for developing prostate cancer may also wish to receive some of the tests to see if he does have prostate cancer. A man can receive a test to check for prostate cancer whether or not he is experiencing any of the symptoms of prostate cancer.
There are a couple of common tests that a doctor may perform on a man to check the prostate gland for cancer. One of the tests is called the digital rectal examination. Another test that a doctor may perform is the prostate-specific antigen test. After performing one or both of these tests initially a doctor may refer the man, if the need is there, to a urologist for more testing. The urologist can perform tests to confirm the possible cancer diagnosis, and see how much the cancer may have spread.
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Digital rectal examination
During the digital rectal examination, or the DRE, the doctor will test the man's prostate gland for cancer by inserting a gloved and lubricated finger into the man's rectum. The doctor will then feel the prostate. If the prostate gland is harder than normal, or has bumps or other types of abnormalities, it is possible that the man has prostate cancer.
This is a very simple test that can be done without very much work. Though it can sometimes be a good indicator of the presence of prostate cancer, it can also be wrong. If the doctor suspects that the man may have cancer after the examination, other tests should follow the DRE.
Prostate-specific antigen
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is much different than the digital rectal examination; it is a blood test. Prostate-specific antigen is a protein in a man's body and is produced by noncancerous, or benign, and cancerous, malignant, prostate cells. The job of the prostate-specific antigen is to liquefy the man's semen. A little bit of the prostate-specific antigen enters into the man's blood stream. Since cancerous cells in the prostate tend to produce more of the prostate-specific antigen than normal cells, the amount in the man's blood will usually rise if he has prostate cancer.
Even though the PSA test is more involved than the DRE, this test has its problems as well. It can be hard for a man's doctor to figure out exactly what a high prostate-specific antigen is for the man. There are a lot of factors to consider such as the man's age, the size of his prostate gland, if the man is taking medications that may affect the prostate-specific antigen number, and how quickly the man's PSA levels happen to be changing. Also, a high PSA level does not guarantee cancer.
Further testing
If the man's doctor does suspect prostate cancer, the man will most likely be referred to a urologist. The urologist is likely to perform a prostate biopsy. He will take some of the tissue from a man's prostate to test it for cancer. If the prostate cancer diagnosis is confirmed, the man may have a CT scan or an MRI to see if the cancer has spread.
