Are there prostate cancer screening tests available?
Although checking PSA levels is not an ideal screening test, many cases of prostate cancer are discovered during routine blood work that reveals an elevated PSA level. In addition, a digital rectal exam can help detect irregularities in the prostate that signal the possibility of cancer. In both cases, physicians will recommend a biopsy to complete the diagnosis. The Biopsy During a biopsy, needles are inserted through the rectum into the prostate to take tiny specimens of tissue. The biopsy procedure may cause some discomfort or pain, but the procedure is short, and can usually be done as an outpatient. Gleason Grading and Gleason Scores Cancer cells have a distinct appearance, and the degree to which they vary from normal cells is what determines the cancer grade. “Low-grade” tumor cells appear much like normal cells, and “high-grade” tumor cells look markedly different. The Gleason grading system accounts for the differing patterns that prostate tumor cells may take in their changed
