2007-02-05 09:52:00 · 4 answers · asked by maria 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
I believe they do a blood test to look for PSA levels.
2007-02-05 09:59:33 · answer #1 · answered by ambr123 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You should be having a PSA test and a DRE as part of your regular exam. Any irregularity should get you a referral to a urologist. The first thing he's likely to do is to run a confirmatory PSA test. He will then do an ultrasound exam. If warranted, he will then do a biopsy. A positive biopsy is confirmatory. But a negative one simply means they can't be sure, and all the test may be redone after a few months.
2007-02-06 11:55:42 · answer #2 · answered by anywherebuttexas 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beth had the correct answer. Just some clarification.
Only a biopsy can give a definitive answer for ALL cancers. That way, they have a sample of the questioned tissue. This of course assumes they collected the questionable tissue. Biopsies have been known to miss the cancerous portion when collecting a sample.
As for the prostate specific antigen (PSA), it is a good (non-invasive) preliminary test. The levels tend to be inflated with prostate cancer and some other prostate ailments (inflammation can do it). This is NOT always the case. An elevated PSA is for the average man. It may be normal for some males.
2007-02-05 10:36:56 · answer #3 · answered by oncogenomics 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
after a psa blood test they will do a biopsy.
2007-02-05 10:08:51 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋