Prostate cancer screening
Screening is performed in healthy people to detect the cancer at an early stage. Screening helps in identifying persons who might have prostatic cancer and need further investigations to come to a diagnsois. Screening procedures are not enough to make a diagnosis. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and Digital rectal examination (DRE) are used in screening people for prostate cancer.
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) Testing
PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland and released to the blood stream. Normally the value of PSA is 10 years. This includes men up to 76 years ). African-American males and men with a family history of prostate cancer, are advised screening annually beginning at 40 years of age.
Digital Rectal examination DRE is another screening procedure usually combined with PSA testing to increase the chances of detecting early prostatic cancer cases.
During DRE , a gloved and lubricated finger is inserted into the rectum and the prostate gland is palpated for any irregularities in size, shape and texture. Prostate cancers are characteristically hard, nodular and irregular. Overall 20-25% of the patients with abnormal DRE have cancer of prostate.
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Find information on PSA & DRE Screening at CheckTheProstate.com