Diagnosing prostate cancer
Your doctor most likely suspected you had prostate cancer after talking with you about your health and completing a physical examination, including a digital rectal examination (DRE). The prostate gland can easily be felt by the doctor because it is close to the rectum.
To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor will arrange special tests. These tests may also be used to “stage” and “grade” the cancer. You may have one or more of the following tests.
Blood tests
Your blood may be tested for a substance called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). If you have an enlarged prostate, the amount of PSA in your blood may be slightly higher than normal. Prostate cancer usually causes even higher levels of PSA in the blood than an enlarged prostate does. If your PSA level is higher than expected for your age, more tests will be done to find out whether this is because of prostate cancer or another prostate problem.
Other blood tests may be done to check your general health. Blood is taken and studied to see if the different types of blood cells are normal in number and appearance.
Imaging studies
Imaging studies allow tissues, organs and bones to be looked at in more detail. Using x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs or bone scans, your healthcare team can get a picture of the size of the tumour and see if it has spread.
A transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) is usually the only imaging study needed to diagnose prostate cancer. A TRUS uses sound waves to form a picture of the prostate. The doctor passes a small probe into the rectum and looks for dark or dense areas on the image that may represent cancer. A sample of cells (called a biopsy) is taken at the same time. This test may be slightly uncomfortable, but it does not last long.
Biopsy
A biopsy is usually necessary to make a definite diagnosis of cancer. The cells are checked under a microscope. If the cells are cancerous, they may be studied further to see how fast they are growing.
A prostate biopsy is taken during a TRUS. Several samples of prostate cells are removed through the rectum. You may feel a brief sharp pain during the procedure. A local anesthetic (freezing) can be used to lessen the discomfort.
Last modified on:
24 August 2010
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