If your doctor suspects prostate cancer after knowing your symptoms, you need to do a test for confirmation. So, there are three types of tests used to examine the presence of prostate cancer.
1. Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)
Digital Rectal Examination is a thorough physical examination that allows doctors to assess the person’s general health. In DRE, the doctor will insert a gloved and lubricated finger into your rectum. The doctor will try to feel the presence of any lumps or rough areas in your prostate gland. If any irregularities are suspected, it means that there could be cancer. Moreover, the test will also show hints, whether there is cancer on one side or both sides of the gland. It will also provide you with information about its spread to the nearby tissues of the prostate gland.
2. Prostate-Specific antigen (PSA) Blood test
It is a blood test involving blood count and substances increased in the blood. Prostate-Specific antigens measure the level of proteins called PSA. The PSA protein has normal and cancerous cells in the prostate gland. However, this test is not 100% accurate regarding the confirmation of cancer in the gland. PSA is used to screen the high risks of causing prostate cancer. PSA is a form of the preliminary test. Naturally, men have a PSA level of less than 4ng/ml. But if the level increases to 10ng/ml or more than 10, there is a 50% chance of having prostate cancer.
If the PSA test comes negative, there is a chance of no cancer. You will have the test again after every three to six months. If the PSA test comes negative consecutively, you will have to do a second biopsy. What if the test gives a positive result? It means that the presence of prostate cancer is confirmed. The next step is the determination of cancer’s stage. You have to do a bone scan, an MRI, or a CT scan, to know the further details. However, you can also get a false-positive result, which might lead you to do an unnecessary biopsy.
3. Prostate Biopsy
Prostate Biopsy is an accurate prueba de cancer de prostata. A tissue sample from the prostate gland is taken and examined under a microscope. The doctor determines if there is an uncontrolled division of cells in the gland or not. The doctor inserts a thin needle in the patient’s prostate. The imaging guidance through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) helps in this process. The transrectal ultrasound is another option for collecting tissue samples. Then the samples are sent to the lab to examine the cancer cells. The doctor inserts a biopsy needle through the rectum in the transrectal biopsy. In a transperineal biopsy, the insertion is through the skin between the anus and the scrotum.
Complications in Prostate Biopsy
- The process in Prostate Biopsy takes only about ten minutes. But people go through many complications after doing this test.
- The pain lasts for more than a week.
- You will have blood in your pee, which will last for many weeks.
- Blood in stool for a few days and semen for about eight weeks.
- High fever with chills
- Urinary retention. It is a rare as well as dangerous complication. Thus, this needs serious medical attention.
If the screening is not clear in any test, you have to do it again. If you have prostate cancer, there is no need to get scared. There is a wide range of treatments. Various tests and medicines are available. The most important thing is that, if you have any symptoms of prostate cancer, don’t feel shy to go through these tests. The process may be complicated and scary for you, but it is the only option for diagnosis.