University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center Offers Patients Vital Tools to Make Critical Health Care Decisions
Knowledge is power. The Urologic Oncology Center team finds this to be especially true when discussing a patient’s prostate cancer diagnosis. At UH Seidman Cancer Center, we offer a full range of prostate cancer diagnostics, empowering patients and families to make critical health care decisions.
Prostate Cancer Tests
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and digital rectal exam (DRE): A patient being screened for prostate cancer will more than likely undergo a PSA test, which measures the amount of PSA in the patient's blood, and a DRE. During a DRE, a physician gently puts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum. The physician checks for growths inside or enlargement of the prostate gland. A tumor in the prostate can often be felt as a hard lump.
- Biopsy: When a PSA is abnormal and/or the DRE reveals a problem, the physician will perform a biopsy. A biopsy consists of removing tissue samples through a needle from various areas of the prostate. The tissues are sent to a UH Seidman Cancer Center pathologist who examines them to see if cancer cells are present and also to determine the aggressive state of the cells.
- Gleason grading system: Physicians determine the aggressiveness of prostate cancer using the Gleason grading system. The score gives the patient an estimate of the cancer's potential growth and possible spreading to other areas of the body. The pathologist determines the Gleason grade based on how closely the cells of the gland resemble those of a normal prostate.
- Diagnostic imaging: Imaging tests are used to determine the size of the tumor and to verify whether or not the cancer has spread to other portions of the patient’s body.
Diagnostic imaging includes:
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): a test that uses a magnetic field and pulses of radio wave energy to create pictures of organs, tissues and bones inside the body
- Computed tomography (CT) scan: is used to see if the cancer is in the lymph nodes, organs or bones; in some cases, where the cancer has a lower chance of spreading, no scans are necessary