How to diagnose prostate cancer early?

Prostate cancer is a disease that is difficult to detect in its early stages because its early symptoms are not obvious. Even if the malignant tumor in the prostate grows to a certain extent and compresses the urethra, it will only cause non-specific symptoms such as dysuria, hematuria, and acute urinary retention, which are often considered to be manifestations of prostate hyperplasia. Because of this, many patients are already in the late stages of their disease when they are diagnosed with prostate cancer. A large number of clinical practices have shown that late-stage prostate cancer cannot be cured and will eventually pose a threat to the patient's life. Therefore, early diagnosis is crucial for prostate cancer patients. So, how to diagnose prostate cancer early?

Here are some common screening methods for prostate cancer:

Early diagnosis of prostate cancer: rectal digital examination

Rectal examination is the main method for diagnosing early prostate cancer. Since the prostate is right in front of the rectum, the size and texture of the prostate can be felt through rectal examination. The normal prostate gland is about 4 cm x 3 cm in size, soft in texture, smooth on the surface without nodules, and symmetrical on both sides. When a patient has prostate hyperplasia, the doctor can find changes in his prostate gland through rectal examination (the volume of the prostate will increase, but the texture will not be very hard). If a patient has prostate cancer, the doctor can feel the protruding tumor nodules on the surface of the prostate through rectal examination (if the tumor is large, the texture of the entire prostate will become very hard, like a stone).

Early diagnosis of prostate cancer 2. Transrectal ultrasound examination

Through transrectal ultrasound, doctors can find out whether there are nodules in the patient's prostate. When nodules appear in the prostate, but the nodules are small or grow inside the gland, they are often not felt through rectal examination. However, through transrectal ultrasound, such abnormal nodules can be found, so that prostate cancer can be discovered early. In addition, through transrectal ultrasound, doctors can also determine the size of the patient's tumor and whether the tumor has invaded the capsule of the prostate, which is very helpful for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Early diagnosis of prostate cancer 3. Serum prostate-specific antigen measurement

Prostate-specific antigen is currently the most sensitive marker for diagnosing prostate cancer. Although prostate-specific antigen can also be detected in the blood of normal people, when serum prostate-specific antigen rises to a certain value, it indicates that cancer cells exist in the patient's prostate. A study found that among 473 patients who were eventually confirmed to have prostate cancer after serum prostate-specific antigen testing, 40% of the patients were not found through rectal digital examination. At present, due to the widespread clinical application of serum prostate-specific antigen testing, the diagnosis time of prostate cancer patients has been advanced by an average of 5 to 8 years, which provides more time and opportunities to save the lives of patients with the disease.

The above is a brief introduction to prostate cancer. For people who are related to the pathogenic factors of prostate cancer, it is recommended to take preventive measures for prostate cancer and receive specific treatment according to the doctor's instructions. I hope that patients can recover soon! If you have other questions about prostate cancer, please consult our experts online or call for consultation.