Overview Of Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer Screening

Two primary tests are used in prostate cancer screening to look for malignancy. A traditional test used is a digital rectal examination. This test allows a physician to feel the surface of the patient's prostate through the wall of the large intestine for any structural or anatomical abnormalities. The other diagnostic test is the prostate-specific antigen blood test, a test that measures the quantity of a specific protein produced in the prostate. Many men over fifty years old undergo this blood test to screen for prostate cancer. A normal level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood of a healthy individual is four nanograms per milliliter. An individual who has levels higher than four nanograms per milliliter may be referred to undergo a prostate biopsy for further diagnostic purposes.

Further Diagnostic Tests

An individual who has high levels of prostate-specific antigen in their blood or a structural abnormality detected during a digital rectal examination may need to undergo further diagnostic tests to determine if they are affected by prostate cancer. Diagnostic imaging tests such as x-rays, cystoscopy, and transrectal ultrasound may be ordered for further evaluation of the detected abnormality. A urinalysis may also be performed to rule out a urinary tract infection. After imaging tests have been performed, patients may need to undergo a procedure to biopsy tissue in their prostate if malignancy is suspected. A prostate gland biopsy is performed with the use of transrectal ultrasound and a series of long hollow needles placed into the prostate gland. Over a dozen of tissue samples are captured in the needles from the prostate gland and are sent to a laboratory be examined. A pathologist who specializes in the identification of malignant and abnormal cells then determines if cancerous cells are present in the patient's prostate gland.