Knowing better can help you in living a better life. Learning more about the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer and its testing, diagnosing, and staging can make you aware to take appropriate actions.
Importance of early detection of prostate cancer
Catching prostate cancer early allows for easy treatment processes. As prostate cancer rarely causes noticeable signs and symptoms in its early stages, screening becomes important.
How to find prostate cancer early?
Cancer screening is testing for finding cancer before they start having symptoms. For prostate cancer, screening can help find it at an early stage when they are much easier to treat and cure.
Prostate cancer can be detected early by testing for levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood of a man. Another test for finding out prostate cancer is through a digital rectal exam (DRE).
The screening tests help to look for signs of prostate cancer development. But to make sure you have it you will need a prostate biopsy.
What to do when your screening test results are not normal
If your blood PSA level comes to be higher than normal, it doesn’t mean that you have prostate cancer, you will need further testing to help find out the exact problem. Below given options might be suggested to you by your physician:
Have a second PSA test after a period of waiting
Get a prostate biopsy
Getting other tests like DRE or an imaging test of the prostate gland
Referred to a urologist
The next steps suggested to you by your doctor will depend on your age, health status, and your family history of cancers.
Diagnosis of prostate cancer with biopsy
If prostate cancer is suspected in your medical health checkup reports or you have symptoms, further tests will be done to be sure. An urologist who is a doctor that treats genital and urinary tract cancers can prescribe further treatment or lifestyle modifications.
If the results of your PSA test, DRE, or any other test suggest to you, indicate that you might have prostate cancer, you will most likely be asked to get a prostate biopsy. Biopsy is a way of diagnosis where samples of the prostate are removed and then examined with a microscope. Prostate cancer is diagnosed by core needle biopsy usually performed by a urologist.
Get screened for prostate cancer and other major health conditions with the complete health checkup package that includes the PSA test.
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