Monday, March 18, 2024
HomeCancerHow To Self Examine For Prostate Cancer

How To Self Examine For Prostate Cancer

If Youre The Giving Partner

Can a self-examination detect prostate cancer? Penn State Cancer Institute

Cleanliness and safety are a must, even for the giver.

Cut and file your nails smooth to help avoid scratching or tearing the delicate skin in and around the anus.

Wash your hands thoroughly, even if youre planning to use a condom over your finger to penetrate your partner. For extra comfort, stuff cotton balls inside the condom or glove.

You can also get the party started in the shower together, which serves as foreplay and gets you both all nice and clean for the big show.

Youll probably need to try a few different moves and experiment with speed and pressure to find what feels best.

Here are some techniques to try, whether youre using fingers or toys.

Read Also: How Effective Is Chemotherapy For Prostate Cancer

Why Does Prostate Cancer Happen

The causes of prostate cancer are largely unknown. But certain things can increase your risk of developing the condition.

The chances of developing prostate cancer increase as you get older. Most cases develop in men aged 50 or older.

For reasons not yet understood, prostate cancer is more common in men of African-Caribbean or African descent, and less common in Asian men.

Men whose father or brother were affected by prostate cancer are at slightly increased risk themselves.

Recent research also suggests that obesity increases the risk of prostate cancer.

What Is A Psa Test

A PSA Test is a type of blood test that can diagnose problems with your prostate, including prostate cancer.

As this test is monitoring the level of PSA in your blood. If you find an unusually high level and your doctor may then recommends you for further testing. This can lead to diagnosing before symptoms begin to show.

It is important to remember that this is not a conclusive test whether you do or dont have prostate cancer. It is not uncommon for men to naturally begin producing more PSA as they get older or from their prostate becoming enlarged.

What a PSA test provides is an indicator that there may be a problem with your prostate. With that information, you can see your GP for further testing.

Recommended Reading: What Causes The Prostate Gland To Become Enlarged

Self Prostate Exam For Prostate Stones

How to detect prostate stones in time? Experts said that the nature of prostate stones is the same as kidney stones, and stomach stones. However, the location of stones is in the prostate. Then how do we perform self prostate exam for prostate stones?

Self prostate exam for prostate stones

1, under normal circumstances, the existence of prostate stones alone has no symptoms.

2, when the prostate gland and benign prostatic hyperplasia coexist, there will be symptoms of weak, urinary frequency, urinary wait, urine droplets and so on.

3, There will be discomfort of perineum, penis, pubic and anal and other adjacent organs. When getting up in the morning, the urethra will have white discharge when prostate stones and prostatitis coexist.

4, when the prostate stones and urethritis or other diseases of urinary tract infection coexist, there will be symptoms of frequent urination, urgency, hematuria and so on.

Summary

Above is the self prostate exam for prostate stones, have you learned it? Experts said that the best way for an early detection of prostate stones is to go to the hospital for medical examination. If your body has had the above symptoms, be sure go to the regular hospital for timely inspection.

What Is Ultrasound Imaging Of The Prostate

digital rectal exam Archives

Ultrasound is safe and painless. It produces pictures of the inside of the body using sound waves. Ultrasound imaging is also called ultrasound scanning or sonography. It uses a small probe called a transducer and gel placed directly on the skin. High-frequency sound waves travel from the probe through the gel into the body. The probe collects the sounds that bounce back. A computer uses those sound waves to create an image. Ultrasound exams do not use radiation . Because images are captured in real-time, they can show the structure and movement of the bodys internal organs. They can also show blood flowing through blood vessels.

Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions.

Prostate ultrasound, also called transrectal ultrasound, provides images of a mans prostate gland and surrounding tissue. The exam typically requires insertion of an ultrasound probe into the rectum of the patient. The probe sends and receives sound waves through the wall of the rectum into the prostate gland which is situated right in front of the rectum.

Read Also: Prostate Cancer Erectile Dysfunction Treatment

Is Going To The Bathroom Frequently A Sign Of Prostate Cancer

Thats one of the challenging things having urinary symptoms is very rarelyalmost nevera sign of prostate cancer. Having urinary symptoms means you should probably be evaluated for an enlarged prostate, also known as benign prostatic hyperplasia . We can treat your urinary symptoms and help you pee better.

If urinary symptoms bring men to the doctor, we can discuss screening for prostate cancer. Thats important because not all men will go to a doctor until theres something wrong with them. And prostate cancer screening really is the only way to detect prostate cancer, because its almost always asymptomatic.

Tests To Diagnose And Stage Prostate Cancer

Most prostate cancers are first found as a result of screening. Early prostate cancers usually dont cause symptoms, but more advanced cancers are sometimes first found because of symptoms they cause.

If prostate cancer is suspected based on results of screening tests or symptoms, tests will be needed to be sure. If youre seeing your primary care doctor, you might be referred to a urologist, a doctor who treats cancers of the genital and urinary tract, including the prostate.

The actual diagnosis of prostate cancer can only be made with a prostate biopsy .

On this page

Read Also: Is Stage 3 Prostate Cancer Curable

Can A Swollen Prostate If Untreated Cause Prostate Cancer

We have no evidence of that. Theyre completely unrelated problems. The area of the prostate that causes urinary symptoms is usually a different part of the prostate than where cancer is likeliest to develop.

Doctors divide the prostate into different zones. The zone that is associated with BPHand the majority of prostate growthis the transition zone. Prostate cancer occurs there much less often than in the peripheral zone, which is the outer area.

Itll Just Take A Minute

Male Cancer Self-Exam

Theres no shying away from the fact that this exam involves inserting a gloved and lubricated digit into the rectum. While that may not sound pleasant, its over very quickly. The whole appointment might take just few minutes and the part youre dreading probably less than 20 seconds.

Youll be granted some privacy to take off your lower clothing before being asked to lie on your side and draw your knees up to your chest. While its natural to tense up in these situations, you be surprised at how easily a lubricated finger slips in. Once its in there it usually takes just a few seconds for the anal sphincter to relax around it.

Youll be aware of some pressing this shouldnt be painful but it may make you feel a brief urge to urinate. If you do experience any pain you should tell the examiner straight away. If the exam is physically intolerable for you but deemed necessary it can be performed under general anaesthetic. Once the surface of the prostate has been inspected, the digit is removed and the area around the anus cleaned of any residual lubricant.

Read Also: How Do You Treat An Enlarged Prostate

Use In Men Who Might Have Prostate Cancer

The PSA blood test is used mainly to screen for prostate cancer in men without symptoms. Its also one of the first tests done in men who have symptoms that might be caused by prostate cancer.

PSA in the blood is measured in units called nanograms per milliliter . The chance of having prostate cancer goes up as the PSA level goes up, but there is no set cutoff point that can tell for sure if a man does or doesnt have prostate cancer. Many doctors use a PSA cutoff point of 4 ng/mL or higher when deciding if a man might need further testing, while others might recommend it starting at a lower level, such as 2.5 or 3.

  • Most men without prostate cancer have PSA levels under 4 ng/mL of blood. Still, a level below 4 is not a guarantee that a man doesnt have cancer.
  • Men with a PSA level between 4 and 10 have about a 1 in 4 chance of having prostate cancer.
  • If the PSA is more than 10, the chance of having prostate cancer is over 50%.

If your PSA level is high, you might need further tests to look for prostate cancer.

To learn more about how the PSA test is used to look for cancer, including factors that can affect PSA levels, special types of PSA tests, and what the next steps might be if you have an abnormal PSA level, see Screening Tests for Prostate Cancer.

If Screening Test Results Arent Normal

If you are screened for prostate cancer and your initial blood PSA level is higher than normal, it doesnt always mean that you have prostate cancer. Many men with higher than normal PSA levels do not have cancer. Still, further testing will be needed to help find out what is going on. Your doctor may advise one of these options:

  • Waiting a while and having a second PSA test
  • Getting another type of test to get a better idea of if you might have cancer
  • Getting a prostate biopsy to find out if you have cancer

Its important to discuss your options, including their possible pros and cons, with your doctor to help you choose one you are comfortable with. Factors that might affect which option is best for you include:

  • Your age and overall health
  • The likelihood that you have prostate cancer
  • Your own comfort level with waiting or getting further tests

If your initial PSA test was ordered by your primary care provider, you may be referred to a urologist for this discussion or for further testing.

Recommended Reading: Does Enlarged Prostate Affect Ejaculation

Read Also: Is Banana Good For Prostate Cancer

What Would You Say To Men Who Dont Want To Get A Prostate Check

A rectal exam is recommended but optional. We recommend both, but if theyll just let you do a blood test, thats better than not doing anything at all.

If concern about the rectal exam is the only reason youre not getting screened, talk to your doctor about it. We can discuss the risks and benefits. None of the evaluation tests are mandatory, but the reason we do that is that it improves our ability to detect cancer. So, if thats why youre not being evaluated, we can talk and decide if we can do other tests.

Do You Need To Be Erect For A Clinical Exam

Pin on Men

You dont, but it may happen unintentionally and thats completely normal.

Your penis is full of sensitive nerves and erogenous zones that are meant to help you get erect, so it isnt unusual for an erection to occur while your doctor is physically examining the area.

Your doctor has probably seen this happen hundreds or thousands of times, so they shouldnt be fazed.

If youre age 55 or older, you may already be getting annual prostate exams.

Otherwise, your doctor likely wont recommend this exam unless they observe unusual symptoms that could be related to your prostate.

A prostate exam is actually composed of two different tests: the digital rectal exam and the prostate-specific antigen exam. Heres how theyre done.

Don’t Miss: How Do Doctors Check Prostate Cancer

What Happens Next

If the DRE and PSA tests show nothing unusual, the healthcare provider may recommend monitoring by repeating one or both tests every

There are no official guidelines about screening for prostate cancer, but the ACS recommend talking to a doctor about screening from the following ages:

  • 50 years for males with an average risk and a life expectancy of more than 10 years
  • 45 years for those with a high risk
  • 40 years for people with more than one close relative who developed prostate cancer at an early age

People who have a high risk include African Americans, people with obesity, and anyone with a close relative who received a diagnosis of prostate cancer before age 65.

Not everyone recommends routine screening, however.

In 2018, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended that the decision to undergo screening from the ages of 55â69 years should be up to the individual. This is because screening can produce false positive results, leading to investigations or surgery that may not be necessary.

Before going ahead with screening, a person should discuss the risks and benefits with their doctor.

According to the National Cancer Institute, Medicare will cover a yearly PSA test for people 50 and over who are eligible for Medicare.

Does frequent ejaculation lower the risk of prostate cancer? Find out here.

How Do I Self

Lots of people talk about doing self-checks , to try and spot cancer early.

Its good to be aware of what your body is normally like, so its easier to notice if anything changes. But theres no good evidence to suggest that regularly self-checking any part of your body in a set time or set way is helpful. It can actually do more harm than good, by picking up things which wouldnt have gone on to cause you problems.

Self-checking is different to cancer screening read more about screening for cancer.

Don’t Miss: Cryosurgical Ablation Of The Prostate

Psa Screening Blood Test

A Prostate-specific antigen is made by the cells of the prostate gland. PSA testing is a common method to test for prostate cancer. PSA is found in semen, with a small amount in the blood. Men without prostate cancer often have PSA levels under 4 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Elevated PSA level increases the likelihood of having prostate cancer .

The American Cancer Society reports that men with a total PSA level of between 4 and 10 have roughly a 1 in 4 chance of having prostate cancer. With a total PSA of over 10, the chance of having prostate cancer rises to over 50%. Following the PSA test, if the levels are high, a doctor may suggest a repeat screening test or a prostate biopsy.

In addition to prostate cancer, there are many other factors that can affect a mans PSA levels.

Reasons for a High PSA:

Reasons for a Low PSA:

New Prostate Cancer Blood Test

Are you at risk for oral cancer? Learn to perform a self-exam.

If you have an abnormal PSA score, your doctor may recommend another newertest that gives a better sense of yourprostate cancer risk. The prostate health index is one such test that is a more accurateblood test and measures your risk for having prostate cancer. Its approvedby the FDA for men who have PSA scores between 4 and 10.

What are the benefits of the PHI test?

  • Fewer unnecessary biopsies: Some men who have elevated PSA scores are unsure about getting an invasive biopsy. This tool can be used to better determine whether your risk is high enough to warrant a biopsy.
  • More accurate: This test is better at detecting prostate cancer. It can also detect whether you have a more aggressive type of cancer. This information can guide doctors to a more targeted treatment plan for you.

If you score low on the PHI test, your doctor may recommend monitoring youover time to see if your levels rise enough to cause concern.

You May Like: Prostate Cancer Treatment In Israel

Ways To Perform Self Prostate Exam For Most Common Prostate Diseases

How do you perform self prostate exam? Do you know that you have got a problem with your penis? The answer is not very clear.

You can insert your finger, as described in my own page of self prostate massage, you may have some ideas, but not sure. It should be soft and not hard, painless soft touch, and feel smooth without caking. Make sure you use gloves and lubricate to make insertion easier. To be gentle!

DRE or digital rectal examination by a trained urologist will provide you with the information you need. He would be very hesitant if he wants to do a biopsy. This is because the procedure has a lot of risks. He may underestimate the path of the invasion including the act if he finds the slightest sign of cancer.

Due to prostate disease symptoms often have no specificity, which means that prostate disease is difficult to distinguish only from the symptoms. So when you have these symptoms, you should also check through many other exams to finally determine whether it is really a prostate disease. It is best to get aids from professional hospitals as soon as possible to find a solution. Urinary problems can warn male urinary system, including many organs, such as lower urinary tract, the bladder, prostate and urethra, they have directly relations to the appearance of urinary symptoms.

What Do The Results Mean

PSA levels may be above the baseline for various reasons other than prostate cancer.

Other factors that can raise PSA levels include:

  • older age
  • an enlarged prostate â because of benign prostatic hyperplasia , for example
  • prostatitis, which is inflammation and swelling of the prostate

Also, people with obesity may have lower PSA readings.

In addition, some medications may reduce PSA levels, including:

  • 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, which can help treat BPH
  • aspirin, which some people take regularly as a blood thinner
  • statins, which help manage cholesterol levels
  • thiazide diuretics, a kind of water pill that can help reduce high blood pressure

Some herbal medicines and supplements can also lower PSA levels. Tell the doctor about any medications and supplements before undergoing the test.

High PSA levels alone do not indicate cancer. However, if a DRE also reveals changes, a doctor may recommend a biopsy for a more accurate result.

The PCA3 is another test for prostate cancer that doctors use in some circumstances. Find out more.

Don’t Miss: Digital Examination Of The Prostate

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Popular