PROSTATE
CANCER CRYOTHERAPY
Cryosurgery Procedures
Diagnostic Procedures
for the Diagnosis of Prostate Cancer and Determining
What Treatment Options are Best Suited for You
Prostate cancer diagnostic procedures are crucial for the early diagnosis of the disease. As symptoms or signs of prostate cancer are often times non-existent until the cancer has progressed to elevated stages, diagnostic testing is essential for men over the age of 50 or for those individuals at greater risk for developing cancer of the prostate. Through the completion of diagnostic tests, your physician or doctor specializing in urology problems will be better able to determine appropriate prostate cancer treatment options such as prostate cancer radiation therapy treatment and the minimally invasive surgery and procedure, cryotherapy, also known as cryosurgery or cryosurgical ablation.
Prostate cancer statistics have shown that the likelihood of possible cures is greatly affected by the diagnosis of prostate cancer or a recurrence in its beginning stages. To learn more about common diagnostic procedures, read on below.
Digital Rectal Exam (DRE): Although a DRE cannot be used alone to give a definitive prostate cancer diagnosis, it is utilized to search for growths or irregularities that may indicate possible cancer long before symptoms or signs of prostate cancer will become evident to the patient. To perform a DRE, your doctor will insert a gloved finger into the rectum and feel along the back rectal wall for the presence of lumps, enlargements, or hard, coarse, jagged, or uneven areas that may indicate cancer or other prostatic diseases. The doctor will also check for the groove down the middle of the prostate. If the groove is undetectable, the gland is most likely enlarged. Prostate clinical studies have shown that prostate cancer most commonly originates in the peripheral zone of the prostate, the outer area closest to the rectum. It is recommended by the American Cancer Society to receive an annual DRE along with Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing from your primary care physician or a urology specialist (a doctor specializing in the urinary tract) starting at age 50 or 45 if you are considered at risk for prostate cancer.
Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA): Prostate-specific antigens are biomarkers that are found in the blood, fluids, and tissues. When an individuals PSA level is considered elevated it can indicate the presence of prostate cancer. If the PSA level rises quickly over two or three tests, it may be a sign of a large or fast-growing tumor. If you receive a high PSA testing but a normal DRE, your doctor will take a urine sample to determine if the elevated levels are due to an infection. If prostatitis is not causing the elevated PSA, your urologist will need to recheck your PSA level two to six weeks later. If an elevation is still evident, further testing will be needed to determine whether the elevation is an indication of a prostate cancer diagnosis.
Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS): TRUS testing is utilized after PSA and DRE testing indicates the presence of possible cancer. The doctor will insert a lubricated ultrasound probe into the rectum behind the prostate. The TRUS probe creates a picture of the prostate and any abnormalities. However, a normal scan does not indicate that you are cancer free as TRUS seldom shows tumors that are spread out, flat, small, or scattered.
Needle Biopsy: Through a needle biopsy, samples of suspicious tissue are extracted for pathological testing. Many times a needle biopsy will be performed in conjunction with a TRUS, with the ultrasound images guiding the placement of the needle.
Saturation Biopsies or 3D Mapping Biopsies: If a needle biopsy does not indicate cancer, but your physician suspects it, a saturation biopsy or 3D global mapping biopsy can be used for further diagnostic testing. The needle is guided by ultrasound technology and is inserted through the perineum. Each tissue is labeled according to what part of the prostate it was extracted from, enabling the construction of a map of the cancer’s exact location within the prostate.
Determining Prostate Cancer Stages and Appropriate Treatment Options for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer first appears as small lesions confined to the gland itself. Left undetected, the cancer will spread to other parts of the prostate, the seminal vesicles, lymph nodes, and eventually to the bones, and beyond. Through the evaluation of diagnostic procedures, physicians can assess the stage and aggressive nature of the cancer. With this evaluation, appropriate prostate cancer treatments can be determined such as cryosurgical treatments, radiation therapy, or a prostatectomy. To find out if you are a candidate for cryotherapy, click Patient Criteria. |
