What Is The Test For Prostate Cancer

Published on Feb 04 2010, in the categories: Uncategorized

Prostate cancer is one of the most often occurring types of cancer in men. According to specialists, the prostate is a small gland in the size and shape similar to that of a chestnut. It is situated below the urinary bladder and surrounds the upper portion of the urethra – the tube that transports urine and sperm through the penis. The prostatic gland produces a clear and thick fluid that is mixed with the sperm to form the seminal fluid.



With age, a man’s prostate can grow in size. This is not an unnatural thing, but it can happen sometimes that this growth blocks off the urinary flow. Therefore, there are some prostate problems that men can face, especially those aged more than 40.

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One of these problems is prostate cancer, which damages the prostatic gland cells and can block the urinary flow. This type of cancer needs to be detected early and treated in order to prevent the spreading of cancer cells to other parts of the body. After the age of 50, men need to take annual tests. In order to prevent the occurrence of prostate cancer, each man needs to be aware of what is the test for prostate cancer and of the fact that these tests need to be made annually by an urologist, especially if there is a history of prostate cancer in the family. This is the only way to detect and treat prostate cancer in its early stages.

What symptoms need to worry you?

Usually, when there is a prostatic affliction there are several symptoms which you could notice and by which you should go to the nearest doctor in your area to get a digital rectal examination. The most frequent symptoms reported by men are: difficulty or pain during urination, especially at night, a constant sensation of needing to urinate, urination which cannot be delayed, the presence of blood in the urine or sperm, impotence.

What is the test for prostate cancer?

After you list the symptoms you are feeling and tell the doctor what is going on with your body, any physical examination needs to include a digital rectal exam, e prostatic scan (which involves introducing a probe the size of a finger into the rectum and functions based on ultrasound) and a blood test to check for the Prostatic Specific Antigen, also known as PSA. High levels of PSA can be clues of prostate cancer, but this amount of PSA might also be increased by other afflictions, other infections or simply by recent ejaculation.

During the digital rectal examination the urologist will examine your prostate in order to find if there are any harder or abnormal areas on a prostate level.

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So the prostate cancer test is nothing to worry about and if you suspect that you might be suffering from such a disease you should go to a doctor right away, because in such cases, the sooner you pinpoint and start treating the disease the better chances you have of a full recovery and leading a normal life. If you ignore the symptoms, one of the alternatives may very well be an early and painful death. So think about it.
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