How can I get screened for prostate cancer?

By measuring the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in a man's bloodstream, we can discover prostate cancer at earlier stages -- giving men a better chance for survival. The test is not perfect. Some studies show that it misses up to 15 percent of cancer cases, while flagging some cancers so small and slow-growing that they pose no threat. Still, the PSA test remains the best clinically available tool for predicting prostate cancer. PSA screening is especially important for men with a family history of prostate cancer and for African-American men, who have a 60 percent higher incidence of the disease than whites.

There are currently two screening tests for prostate cancer that you can talk to your doctor about: the Digital [finger] Rectal Examination (DRE) and the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test. These tools look for early signs of the disease in a person who has no apparent symptoms. The DRE is a quick physical examination where a doctor feels for irregularities in the prostate gland. The PSA test is a blood test that looks for a specific substance (a protein produced by prostate cells) in the blood. Generally, the higher the PSA level the higher the likelihood that a problem is present. However, many factors can contribute to a high PSA level, and your doctor will need to interpret the results. The need for routine screening is currently a topic of much debate in the medical world, but it is generally agreed that men should only be screened after receiving information about the screening process, including the uncertainties, risks, and benefits.  

There are two main screening methods for prostate cancer: PSA tests and digital rectal exams (DRE). Depending on your risk factors for prostate cancer (i.e. family history, African American and increasing age), your physician will/will not recommend screening. Unfortunately there is not a 100% accurate way to screen for prostate cancer; therefore the results of these two screening methods must be considered along with your personal risk factors.

PSA stands for Prostate-Specific Antigen and is a simple blood test that can help detect prostate cancer before it spreads test (PSA test). This test analyzes the blood for PSA, a substance produced by the prostate gland. If higher-than-normal levels of PSA are detected, above a level of 4.0ng/ml, it may indicate prostate infection or enlargement of the prostate gland, or cancer. The American Urologic Association recently released their guidelines for PSA testing, which recommends a baseline PSA in well-informed men starting at age 40, and rescreening either yearly or every 3-5 years depending on that first baseline value. The logic behind this is understandable; PSA. Trends in PSA scores over time can also provide valuable information for urologists when they counsel their patients. Your PSA can be drawn along with other routine blood tests by your primary care physician. 

A digital rectal exam (DRE) is a quick exam by a physician involving the insertion of a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to examine the prostate gland. The physician is feeling for abnormalities in texture, shape or size.