Research>Prostate Exam
DRE Exam For Prostate Cancer
So your doctor has suggested you need a DRE (Digital rectum Exam) to see if you have a healthy prostate?
Although somewhat uncomfortable the DRE is a relatively simple test to screen for prostate cancer. Literally millions of me worldwide have this test each year.
The goal of the DRE test is to detect if you have prostate cancer in its early stages, when treatment is most successful.
The digital rectal exam is typically done during a standard physical exam for men.
Why have a DRE?
- Because your prostate is an internal organ, your doctor cannot look at it directly.
- But he or she can feel it by inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum.
- It is safer than a prostate biopsy
Who Should Get a Digital Rectal Exam?
To help detect prostate cancer in its early stages, the American Cancer Society advises offering annual screening starting at age 50 to men who have at least a 10 year life expectancy.
They encourage men who are at high risk, such as:
- African-American men
- Men with a family history of prostate cancer, such as several relatives with a history of prostate cancer at an early age...
To begin testing each year as soon as you reach 40 years of age.
The American Urological Association agrees that annual screening should begin at age 50 but also encourages men in these two high risk groups to begin screening at age 40 as opposed to 45.
What Happens DURING a Digital Rectal Exam?
- Your doctor will ask you to lay on your side with your knees pulled up towards your chest.
- He or she will then insert a gloved finger into your rectum and feel the prostate for hard, lumpy, or abnormal areas.
- You may feel some discomfort during the test. But it generally only takes a few minutes to complete.
- If you are nervous, make a point of telling your doctor.
What Happens AFTER the Digital Rectal Exam?
- Your doctor will tell you immediately if he or she finds anything unusual.
- If they detect a suspicious lump or area during the exam, they will most likely suggest that you have a PSA test to see if your PSA levels are elevated. They might also suggest
- An ultrasound-guided biopsy as the next step.
Although some men find the DRE Test to be uncomfortable and embarrassing it is NOTHING compared to the possible alternatives you may face if you ignore your doctors advice.
Get the Test Done.
- Do it for your family.
- Do it for yourself.
- Do it for the people that love you
- Do it for the people that YOU love
It could just save your life!
Prostate Examinations Could Quickly And Easily Spot A Prostate Problem
Nearly all men will encounter some type of prostate problem with nearly half of all men suffering from benign prostatic hyperplasia (a swollen or enlarged prostate gland) by the age of 60 and almost ninety percent having the problem by the time they reach 80 years of age.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia is a non-cancerous or benign swelling of the prostate gland and can often be treated with drugs or with minor minimally invasive surgery. However, the first step is to verify that the problem is benign prostatic hyperplasia rather than another problem, like problems with the kidneys or bladder or an infection of the urinary tract.
While checking for benign prostatic hyperplasia it is also important to check for prostate cancer as, in spite of the fact that a swollen prostate does not lead to prostate cancer, it is possible for a swollen prostate and prostate cancer to be found together.
Testing will normally mean a prostate exam, or digital rectal exam, along with an evaluation of the symptoms reported by the patient and his medical history. Because the prostate gland lies between the bladder and the rectum it is an easy matter for a doctor to put a gloved finger into the rectum while the patient lies on his side to feel the prostate gland for signs of swelling or abnormality. The prostate exam is perhaps not the most agreeable of procedures but is more embarrassing than painful.
It is also possible for you to carry out a prostate exam yourself or for a partner to carry this out for you. Indeed, more and more men find that this relatively simple self examination may be undertaken fairly easily every once in a while when having a shower. This provides a great deal of peace of mind and can also allow any swelling to be found at a very early stage so that it can be treated.
It is also not uncommon at this point for your doctor to order various laboratory tests. These could include a blood test to check PSA levels, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine as well as a urine test.
PSA is present in the blood and is specific to the prostate gland with levels climbing a bit in response to benign prostatic hyperplasia and markedly in the case of prostate cancer.
The remaining tests are designed to detect the presence of an infection of the urinary tract or problems with the kidneys, both of which might lead to symptoms which are similar to the symptoms found in cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
In some cases your doctor might also order further tests like an ultrasound examination that can determine the size of the prostate gland and measure the volume of urine present in the bladder, or a cystoscopy (an exam using a thin and flexible scope) to look at the state of the bladder and urethra.
If these tests do not produce clear results your doctor might order a prostate biopsy in which several tiny samples of tissue are removed from the prostate gland for microscopic evaluation.
The Importance of Getting Regular Prostate Exams
If you are a man over the age of 50, nothing can be more important then for you to have regular prostate exams. When you have a regular prostate exam, you are better able to catch any type of problems at the earliest stages. What can start out as a prostate infection, can quickly and easily turn into serious prostate problems.
Even though the thought of a prostate exam may be intimidating and uncomfortable at best, it is still very important to have it done. Just as women need to have regular yearly exams for their breasts which also includes having a mammogram, men need to be diligent about their prostate health, and the only way you can ensure this is having a prostate exam.
For women, a mammogram is uncomfortable and a bit painful, but not enough so it would make you avoid having yourself examined. The same can be said about a prostate exam for a man. It is definitely not pleasant, can sometimes be embarrassing, but it is a requirement if you expect to live well into your old age. There will be no excuse for you to develop prostate problems when a simple prostate exam could have taken care of the problem for you.
If you have a general physician, he can recommend a urologist that you can go see and have a prostate exam. You can ask a friend if they have a urologist that they frequent and you can go see that physician. It doesn’t matter how you get your doctor, just as long as you get a doctor.
You can find out much information when you research prostate health on the internet. There you will find plenty of recommendations from health care providers to cancer groups that will encourage all men to have a regular prostate exam. No matter what you may think of the procedure, your family will be counting on you to be there when they need you, and the best way you can ensure this is to have a regular prostate exam every year.
The Importance of Catching Prostate Cancer Early
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. The good news is that prostate cancer is very curable. As with any cancer, the outcome is always better if it is caught early. Prostate cancer is associated with aging and men are deemed more susceptible the older they are. Catching prostate cancer early is the best way for a man to increase their chances of survival and that involves knowing the symptoms and seeing a doctor regularly.
When prostate cancer is caught early a man has almost a 100% chance of survival. The symptoms of prostate cancer may not show up during the early stages. That is why getting a regular prostate exam is important. The exam can be done as part of a routine physical and is painless and easy to do. The prostate is a small gland that is located under the bladder. When cancer enlarges the prostate a man can experience: problems with urination, signs of blood in the urine, and back pain. These symptoms can also be from an enlarged prostate which is not life threatening. This is why seeing a doctor on a regualr basis is so important. When a man reaches age 50 it is recommended by the American Cancer Society that they be screened yearly. Men at higher risk are African American and have family history of the disease. Treatment includes a variety of procedures from surgery to hormone therapy.
Prostate cancer can be fatal, but it does not have to be. It is the most curable of all known cancers and by catching it early a man increases the chance he will walk away cancer free. By knowing the symptoms and getting regular exams a man can catch prostate cancer early. It is imperative that every man understands the importance of catching prostate cancer early.
What is The Prostate And What Does it Do?
Men and women, though human, have biology that is gender specific. Women have breasts, men don’t, women have a uterus, men don’t and men have prostate and women don’t. Each gender has its own unique biological parts with a reason for each. But what is the prostate in a man and what is its function?
Though all men have a prostate, if differs greatly between species. Males of various species have differences in prostate that include physiological, chemical and anatomic varieties.
What Is The Prostate Function?
The foremost function of a man’s prostate is a blend of clear liquid that includes a slight alkaline fluid that makes up between ten and thirty percent of the seminal fluid volume. When spermatozoa are introduced into the mix, this is what constitutes as semen. The prostate of a man also has a few smooth muscles that aid in the ejaculation process.
The Secretions of The Prostate
In order for the males prostate to work correctly it needs androgens, otherwise known as male hormones that are responsible for the characteristics in a sexual male. The most well known and most abundant hormone for males is testosterone. The testicles are in charge of this function and not the prostate. The male’s adrenal glands are also responsible for producing hormones in small amounts. The male hormone that is responsible for the regulation of the prostate is called dihydrotestosterone.
Disorders of The Prostate
There are many things that can go wrong with a man’s prostate. When men reach a certain age it is very important that their prostate is checked on a regular basis. Prostate problems when discovered in the early stages are usually treated with much success, but only when you are ready to have an exam can you be diagnosed.
You can do much research on the regularity of a prostate exam depending upon your age. There is information that is flying all over the internet on so many subjects and prostate is just one of them. If you are a male and you have concerns, go online and look up prostate and find out the proper exam schedule you should have.
Prostate Cancer What You Don't Know Can Kill You
You won't believe it but it is true. Prostate cancer is one of the top leading causes of death among men and many of the industrialized countries of the world. This information is based on continued monitoring of data that suggests men and ignore prostate health until cancer situations become critical.
Here's some more information:
The statistics now have it that one in every ten men will eventually develop significant prostate cancer at one stage in their lifetime! The reason for this has more to do with our living longer than the rate of cancer growing out of control.
The fact is that the risk of contracting prostate cancer increases as we age, and the baby boomer bubble is reaching the age where prostate cancer becomes a significant risk factor.
So, do we keep running away from this reality? Or brave up and do something about it! We could change our diet, exercise more and try to prevent it from happening to us. The biggest thing we can do to take control of our lives is to get a regular yearly prostate exam.
Prostate cancer is a slow growing carcinoma that when diagnosed early can be treated and even cured. The key to prostate cancer survival, his early detection and treatment.
The good news is that the sooner a prostate cancer is detected, the better and easier it would be to treat. So, with prostate cancer, the sooner you discover and treat it the better your chances of survival.
So, instead of hiding your head and ignoring the fact that your aging, learn all you can about good prostate health and the symptoms of prostate cancer. while the rest of your body is exposed it is wise to learn all you can about prostate cancer so that you can be better protected about it.
This knowledge will allow you to quickly identify the symptoms and go for full treatment. Better still, the knowledge you will get will help you to always go for check ups once or twice every year, to know immediately prostate cancer develops, so that you can fight it before it spreads.
With prostate cancer, early detection is the best way of surviving it.
