I joined on behalf of my father to get more information on Prostate Cancer. He still needs to get diagnosed but had other prostate complications recently.
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There is a fairly routine process to be followed before you move to diagnosis of cancer. The first step is a blood test to determine his PSA level. It is not conclusive but any level above 4 can raise concerns. Next comes the DRE (digital rectal examination) - the doctor feels the prostate, with a finger, for abnormalities and this is sometimes accompanied by an ultrasound test. Any queries usually then lead to an MRI scan, which looks to see if there is any visible sign of cancer on the outside of the prostate. The final and most, but not entirely, conclusive test is a biopsy which can take one of two forms. This gives you what is called a Gleason score - the lower the better. Once all these procedures are complete you get a diagnosis and a choice of treatment, if any is required. I hope this helps - I hope you have good luck and all is found to be benign.