First, visit your family doctor (GP) if you are worried about any symptoms. Your GP can examine you and do some blood tests. If your GP is still concerned about you, he or she can refer you to a hospital specialist called a urologist for more tests.
Tests for prostate cancer
The PSA test
This is a blood test to measure the PSA level in your blood. A small sample of blood is taken from your arm using a needle and syringe. PSA is a protein made by the prostate gland that can be found into your bloodstream. Sometimes a raised PSA level can be a sign of prostate cancer. But more often it is caused by something less serious like an inflamed prostate or an enlarged prostate that comes with ageing.
A single PSA test cannot show you if a prostate cancer is present or if it is slow or fast growing. At present, a normal result is anything up to 4ng/mL. The rate at which the PSA doubles is important too, so PSA levels should be compared regularly. For example, if your PSA was 2 last year and 4 this year, it may need to be checked out.
Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)
This involves your doctor putting a gloved finger into your back passage rectum to feel your prostate. This test can find cancers that are in nearby tissues locally advanced , but overall it can find less than half of prostate cancers. The test is quick but may be a little uncomfortable.
Tests at the hospital
Transrectal ultrasound scan (TRUS)
This scan uses sound waves to build up a picture of the tissues inside your body. To scan the prostate gland, a small device called a probe is passed into your back passage and an image of the prostate appears on a computer screen. This type of scan is used to measure the size of the prostate. The scan may be uncomfortable but only takes a few minutes.
Transrectal needle biopsy of the prostate
The best way to diagnose prostate cancer is by taking samples of the tissues a biopsy . It is usually done at the same time as an ultrasound. This involves putting a plastic probe into your back passage and passing a needle through the wall of your back passage to take samples (usually 6–12) from the prostate. Your doctors will then use a microscope to look for any cancer cells in the sample.
Other tests
If the tests show that you have prostate cancer, you may need other tests. This is called staging and can help your doctor to decide on the right treatment for you.
