Diagnostic Tests for Prostate Cancer
Prostate Cancer: Diagnostic Tests
The list of diagnostic tests
mentioned in various sources as
used in the diagnosis of Prostate Cancer
includes:
Prostate Cancer Tests: Book Excerpts
Home Diagnostic Testing
These home medical tests may be relevant to Prostate Cancer:
- Colon & Rectal Cancer: Home Testing
- Bladder & Urinary Health: Home Testing:
- Prostate Health: Home Testing:
- Kidney Health: Home Testing:
- Cancer-Related Home Testing:
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis: Book Excerpts
Tests and diagnosis discussion for Prostate Cancer:
Prostate Problems - Age Page - Health Information: NIA (Excerpt)
To find the cause of prostate
symptoms, the doctor takes a careful medical history and performs a
physical exam. The physical includes a digital rectal exam, in which
the doctor feels the prostate through the rectum. Hard or lumpy
areas may mean that cancer is present.
Some doctors also
recommend a blood test for a substance called prostate specific
antigen (PSA). PSA levels may be high in men who have prostate
cancer or BPH. However, the test is not always accurate. Researchers
are studying changes in PSA levels over time to learn whether the
test may someday be useful for early diagnosis of prostate
cancer.
If a doctor suspects prostate cancer, he or she may recommend a
biopsy. This is a simple surgical procedure in which a small piece
of prostate tissue is removed with a needle and examined under a
microscope. If the biopsy shows prostate cancer, other tests are
done to determine the type of treatment needed. (Source: excerpt from Prostate Problems - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)
What You Need To Know About Prostate Cancer: NCI (Excerpt)
These tests are used to detect prostate
abnormalities, but they cannot show whether abnormalities are
cancer or another, less serious condition. The doctor will
take the results into account in deciding whether to check the
patient further for signs of cancer. The doctor can explain
more about each test.
-
Digital
rectal exam -- the doctor inserts a lubricated,
gloved finger into the rectum and feels the prostate through
the rectal wall to check for hard or lumpy areas.
-
Blood test for prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) -- a lab measures the levels of
PSA in a blood sample. The level of PSA may rise in men who
have prostate cancer, BPH, or infection in the
prostate.
(Source: excerpt from
What You Need To Know About Prostate Cancer: NCI)
What You Need To Know About Prostate Cancer: NCI (Excerpt)
If a man has symptoms or test results that suggest prostate
cancer, his doctor asks about his personal and family medical
history, performs a physical exam, and may order laboratory
tests. The exams and tests may include a digital rectal exam,
a urine test to check for blood or infection, and a blood test
to measure PSA. In some cases, the doctor also may check the
level of prostatic
acid phosphatase (PAP) in the blood, especially if the
results of the PSA indicate there might be a problem.
The doctor may order exams to learn more about the cause of
the symptoms. These may include:
-
Transrectal ultrasonography
-- sound waves that cannot be heard by humans (ultrasound)
are sent out by a probe inserted into the rectum. The waves
bounce off the prostate, and a computer uses the echoes to
create a picture called a sonogram .
-
Intravenous
pyelogram -- a series of x-rays of the organs of
the urinary tract.
-
Cystoscopy
-- a procedure in which a doctor looks into the urethra and
bladder through a thin, lighted tube.
Biopsy
If test results suggest that cancer may be present, the man
will need to have a biopsy .
During a biopsy, the doctor removes tissue samples from the
prostate, usually with a needle. A pathologist
looks at the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer
cells. If cancer is present, the pathologist usually reports
the grade
of the tumor. The grade tells how much the tumor tissue
differs from normal prostate tissue and suggests how fast the
tumor is likely to grow. One way of grading prostate cancer,
called the Gleason system, uses scores of 2 to 10. Another
system uses G1 through G4. Tumors with higher scores or grades
are more likely to grow and spread than tumors with lower
scores. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Prostate Cancer: NCI)
Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer: medical news summaries:
The following medical news items
are relevant to diagnosis of Prostate Cancer:
Diagnostic Tests for Prostate Cancer: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the diagnostic tests for Prostate Cancer.
Prostate Abnormality:
Diagnostic Approach
(Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis)
History helps in risk stratification: Men with a first degree relative with prostate cancer have a 2 to 3 fold increased incidence of prostate cancer. With 2 first degree relatives, this increases 5 to 8 fold.
The normal prostate is heart-shaped with a median raphe and a mass of 20 to 25 g. Carefully examine the posterior surfaces of the lateral lobes because this is where most prostate cancer originates. In screening for prostate cancer, digital rectal examination (DRE) looking for nodules, induration, or asymmetry may help to calibrate PSA values in the “gray zone” of 4 to 10. For example, a large gland may offer an explanation for a mildly elevated PSA, but a small gland or one with induration or asymmetry should heighten suspicion of prostate cancer. The positive predictive value for prostate cancer of an abnormal finding on DRE is 15% to 30%, increasing odds 1.5- to 2-fold. Because of low sensitivity, the value of a negative DRE to rule out prostate cancer is low. Men with an abnormality on DRE and a PSA ,4 still have a probability of prostate cancer of 12%, so biopsy is usually recommended. Examination followed by biopsy of any prostate nodule is the appropriate tactic because the clinical examination alone is not accurate enough in distinguishing benign causes from adenocarcinoma.
New suspicious findings on DRE in a patient with an initial negative baseline helps to select for aggressive tumors. Cancer found based on the first DRE has a 5 year prostate cancer mortality of 3% and 10 year mortality of 14%. Cancer found on a subsequent DRE has mortalities of 19% and 43% respectively.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis, 2007
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