In my previous post we examined four of the leading risk factors for prostate cancer. Now, let's turn to detection and diagnosis.
Detection
In order to detect prostate cancer at an age when the prognosis is as good as possible, men are tested even when they don't present any symptoms. This process, called screening, often takes two forms:
- checking your blood for the amount of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) present;
- conducting a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)—the glove-in-the-rectum exam that you are likely familiar with thanks to hollywood.
If the results of either test are abnormal, further testing is done as there may often be false-positives (or even false-negatives) with both tests. The American Cancer Society recommends that if you are between the ages of 40 and 50, depending on your determined risk of developing prostate cancer, you have a conversation with your doctor about screening. For more details about the tests, check out the American Cancer Society's Guide to Prostate Cancer: Early Detection.
Diagnosis
Depending on your test results your doctor may decide to conduct a biopsy of your prostate. In this case, a urologist will take approximately 12 samples from your prostate gland which are then sent off for analysis by a pathologist. This procedure takes about 15 minutes and will likely be done in the urologist's office with a local anaesthetic. Usually, you will have the results in a few days.
If the results indicate that cancer is present, additional tests may be conducted to determine the extent of any spread beyond the prostate. This process is called staging. The result of these tests will dictate the type of treatment you receive.
In my next post we will look at the different types of treatment.
