| If you experience certain symptoms like | | | | concerning the test. With this |
| frequent night urination, blood in your | | | | examination your doctor can tell if |
| urine or semen, pains in your lower | | | | cancer is present in your prostate by |
| back, in your pelvis or in your upper | | | | checking to see if he can feel a nodule |
| thighs all this could be symptoms of | | | | or other types of prostate irregularity. |
| prostatitis, a non cancerous swelling of | | | | Next, the Prostate-Specific Antigen |
| the prostate gland or it could be | | | | (PSA) blood test will be done and |
| prostate cancer. | | | | compared with previous results. This |
| Now there's no need to panic but the | | | | test is used to measure the levels of a |
| fact is that many who choose to ignore | | | | protein in the blood called |
| signs and symptoms condemn themselves to | | | | prostate-specific antigen. This protein |
| living with the uncertainty. This has to | | | | is usually overproduced by prostate |
| be worse than actually being diagnosed | | | | cancer cells. So, if prostate cancer is |
| and knowing if you have prostate cancer | | | | present, there will be an increase of |
| or not. | | | | PSA levels in the blood of the victim. |
| For those who want to continue living, | | | | Be aware that this isn't completely |
| you need to undergo a prostate cancer | | | | accurate though is a good indicator. |
| diagnosis to determine if indeed you | | | | If after these screening tests cancer is |
| have prostate cancer and what can be | | | | suspected, a biopsy may be performed. |
| done to cure it and save your life. | | | | Here, a biopsy is used to gain a tissue |
| There are several stages to prostate | | | | sample from the prostate to be examined |
| cancer and the farther along you let it | | | | under a microscope. This biopsy tissue |
| go without treatment, the more at risk | | | | analysis is performed to determine the |
| you are of dying due to cancer. | | | | Gleason score or if the tumor is |
| When you discover the symptoms you | | | | cancerous or not. |
| shouldn't just throw in the towel but | | | | At this point, you and your doctor have |
| try to see what you need to do about it. | | | | a good idea IF you have cancer and at |
| First, check with your doctor to conduct | | | | what stage it has developed. It's at |
| screening tests of prostate cancer for | | | | this point that a strategy for beating |
| you. If you've followed previous advice, | | | | prostate cancer is development and |
| you no doubt have a baseline PSA test | | | | options are discussed. |
| and previous physical tests to begin | | | | Be aware that in the great majority of |
| your diagnosis. | | | | cases, the symptoms are caused by |
| Yet another digital rectal examination | | | | prostatitis and are not cancerous. The |
| (DRE) to check for size and texture of | | | | point however is why anyone would want |
| your prostate through the rectal lining | | | | to stay in denial and think they have |
| but you should know the drill by now. | | | | cancer instead of going in and getting |
| Now's also not time to get sensitive | | | | an accurate diagnosis of the situation. |