A Guide On Prostate Cancer Screening

By Olive Pate


Great progress has been made in cancer treatment. Prostate cancer screening is a process that involves the detection of cancerous growth before its symptoms become visible despite the slow growth of the cancerous cells which may grow or not.

There are two tests commonly used to screen the prostatic cancerous growth which is the Digital-Rectal exam where the doctor inserts a finger in gloves which has been lubricated into the rectum to feel and approximate the prostate gland and feel for any abnormalities such as the lumps.

The degree of the prostate specific antigens which are also produced by the prostate in the blood are measured by the Prostate Specific Antigen test. This test examines the PSA levels and measures its relation to the cancer. They are higher in men with the tumor present in their glands. The PSA levels risk increasing due to certain issues such as medical processes and medications and in other situations age and race could affect them too.

The PSA based screening procedures may result in the detection of many cases of asymptomatic cancer. The asymptomatic cancer may result into a non-progressive or progressive tumor that would have otherwise remained asymptomatic.

The main purpose of the screening is to reduce the deaths of the patients as well as the metastasization of the disease. Prostate tumor patients have three possible occurrences. Some of them may die despite the early detection and adequate treatment, some of them will survive even with no prior screening procedures and some of them survive with the early detection and proper adequate treatment however, there's a lesser chance of survival in this case.

Negative psychological traumas such as constant agitation concerning cancer could affect the PSA test results. These results have uncertainty and are not a hundred percent reliable. The screening procedure may harm the patient and bring about certain effects such as pain, fever, bleeding, infections and urinary difficulties. The treatment procedures such as biopsies could also lead to the patient experiencing some of these effects and are thus advised to consult medical advice as soon as they occur.

The effects of the screen detected cancerous growth and the treatment process have been experienced by most men, they occur early and are too persistent and may expose the patient to a little or no risk to a premature death.

Men are constantly exposed to effects that are more than the benefits brought about by the screen tests and treatment procedures. Over treatment as a result of the screen tests and treatment processes cause the men to experience unexpectedly harmful effects that would interfere with the asymptomatic stage of the disease.

There is the need to examine the equilibrium between the pros and con's of the screen tests and treatment procedures. They should predetermine what it would do to them, if it would worsen the situation due to its devastating effects or prevent their deaths which has very low chances of occurring.




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