Digital Rectal Exam
Prostate tumors are often felt during a digital rectal exam, which is performed as part of a routine physical examination in men. The physician will examine the prostate by palpating it through the rectal walls with a lubricated gloved finger. A digital rectal exam looks for any abnormalities or irregularities in the surface of the prostate that can signal prostatic cancer. Medline Plus, a website of the National Institutes of Health, explains that prostate cancer typically begins in the form of a lump or tumor that forms on the prostate.
PSA Test
Another way in which prostate cancer can be diagnosed is via a blood test called the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. As the Mayo Clinic explains, PSA is a protein that prostate cells naturally secrete into the blood. Prostate disorders such as prostate cancer can cause PSA levels to rise. As a result, PSA tests are effective at screening for prostate cancer. Because there are many different conditions that can cause PSA levels to rise (including prostate infections, old age, and a non-cancerous condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia), elevated PSA tests cannot definitively diagnose prostate cancer.
Biopsy
If a PSA test shows that something is wrong with the prostate and/or an abnormality is detected during a digital rectal exam, more extensive testing needs to be done to determine the cause of the prostate problems. The most definitive way of diagnosing prostate cancer is by taking a biopsy of any abnormal lumps or tumors. This is typically done using a thin needle which then takes a tissue sample from the prostate irregularity. The cells from the biopsy can then be looked at under a microscope to see if they appear cancerous.
