Ask the Doctor
July 20, 2010

Ways to test your prostate

Dear Doc,

One doctor told me that I could test my prostate with a blood test and another say he has to feel the prostate with his finger. What’s up with these local doctors?{{more}}

RS

Dear RS,

Both procedures are used to examine the prostate and when used together can give a good assessment of the prostate.

The procedure used to feel the prostate with a gloved finger by placing the finger in the anus is called the Digital Rectal Examination (DRE). During the DRE, the doctor feels for the texture and smoothness of the prostate to ascertain the characteristic when compared to a normal prostate.

The blood test is a favourite as many men have an aversion to the DRE. The prostate produces product called the prostate specific antigen (PSA) that is present in the blood. The quantity is based on the rate of the prostate’s growth as men age. By testing the blood for the level of the PSA, the doctor can make assessment of the possibility of cancer and hence can decide on further procedures for confirmation.

Both DRE and serum PSA are used internationally in assessing the prostate for possible cancer and not only by local doctors. A doctor might decide to use only one of these two methods or both based on the patients’ history and other variables.

Doc

SVG Cancer Society,
P.O. Box 709, Kingstown.
Email: svgsocietycancer@gmail.com
Phone: 526-7036