How to detect early prostate cancer

The incidence of prostate cancer is very high in Europe and America, but relatively rare in China. With the development of economic level, changes in Chinese people's dietary structure and certain living habits, the number of prostate cancer patients in China is currently increasing year by year. Unfortunately, most of the prostate cancers diagnosed in Yunnan are advanced tumors that have already metastasized.

What is the reason for this?

1. Prostate cancer has no specific symptoms in the early stages of the disease, and patients are unable to detect abnormalities early. By the time patients feel abnormalities, the tumor has already metastasized.

2. Early prostate cancer cannot be diagnosed through B-ultrasound, CT, MRI or even more advanced imaging examinations such as PET-CT. Therefore, routine physical examinations cannot detect early prostate cancer.

3. Yunnan's economy and culture are relatively backward, and most people lack a correct understanding of prostate cancer. Therefore, they will not take the initiative to go to the hospital to see a urologist for prostate cancer screening. The routine physical examination items of various units in Yunnan Province do not include prostate cancer screening, so early prostate cancer is often delayed in diagnosis.

It is precisely because of the above reasons that patients usually cannot diagnose prostate cancer at an early stage. So how should we detect prostate cancer at an early stage? In fact, it is also very simple.

The 2012 European Urology Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines and the American NCCN Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines both unanimously recommend the following diagnostic methods:

1. Digital rectal examination of the prostate is when the doctor uses his fingers to touch the texture of the prostate through the patient's anus. An experienced doctor can easily detect prostate cancer through this examination, and the accuracy of this examination is much higher than that of CT examination.

2. Blood PSA test is to draw the patient's venous blood for testing. The PSA of cancer patients is generally much higher than normal, which indicates the possibility of prostate cancer.

3. Prostate biopsy: If there are any abnormalities in the above preliminary examinations, patients suspected of prostate cancer should undergo prostate biopsy, and the specimens should be sent to the pathology department for diagnosis. This is the most accurate method for diagnosing prostate cancer. In short, rectal examination and blood PSA test are preliminary screening and cannot confirm the diagnosis.

When the initial screening suspects prostate cancer, a prostate biopsy should be performed. Only through a biopsy can prostate cancer be finally diagnosed. It is worth noting that prostate biopsy is a very professional technical work. Inexperienced non-specialist doctors often lead to missed diagnoses and increase the pain of patients. Regular prostate puncture must be performed under the guidance of B-ultrasound to accurately locate the puncture, so as to improve the accuracy of the puncture.