Prostate cancer screening
Prostate cancer screening helps find prostate cancers when they are the most treatable.
Not everyone needs prostate cancer screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends basing the decision on the individual and not age alone.
You can make an informed decision by talking with your doctor. Those at higher risk for prostate cancer include assigned male at birth individuals:
- Over 50
- With a family history of prostate cancer
-
Who are Black and/or of African descent
There are three prostate cancer screening tests:
The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is a blood test that measures the PSA level in the blood. PSA is a protein that the prostate makes.
PSA may be present at higher levels in the blood of males who have prostate cancer. Infection or inflammation in the prostate can also elevate PSA.
An elevated PSA does not confirm a diagnosis of prostate cancer. That’s why it’s important to talk with a doctor about your results.
During a digital rectal exam, a doctor or nurse inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum (the part of your large intestine that ends at the anus). This exam checks the rectum and surrounding tissue, including the prostate, for abnormalities or lumps. A DRE can be helpful in detecting prostate cancers that may be felt on exam.
This advanced technology helps detect and classify different types of prostate cancer using MRI and ultrasound images. MRI uses powerful magnets and radio waves to take detailed pictures inside your body. Ultrasound uses sound waves.
MRI and ultrasound images are fused, or combined, to create clearer pictures. This fusion also gives doctors a more precise area to biopsy.
Research shows that MRI technology is a more accurate and efficient way to biopsy suspicious areas in the prostate. It may also reduce the need for repeat biopsies due to “false-negatives.”
During a traditional biopsy, doctors use a biopsy needle to remove prostate tissue to check for cancer cells. During an MRI-ultrasound fusion prostate biopsy:
- You undergo an MRI scan.
- A radiologist reviews the images for areas that may be prostate cancer. If suspicious areas exist, you undergo the MRI-ultrasound fusion biopsy.
- During the biopsy, a doctor inserts an ultrasound probe into the rectum.
- As the ultrasound probe moves around the prostate, the fusion technology combines the prior MRI images with the real-time ultrasound image.
Fusion biopsy may benefit you if you have had a recent MRI to rule out prostate cancer. When the urologist and radiologist review the MRI images, they look for signs of cancer. They also look for areas that are clear enough to fuse with an ultrasound for biopsy.