Depending on your age and family history, your doctor might suggest a PSA or prostate specific antigen test. This is a simple blood test that is used to screen for prostate cancer. Based on those results, your doctor may want to run further tests.
About PSA Screening
- If I have a family history of prostate cancer, should I be screened more frequently?
- If my results come back showing a high PSA, what’s next?
- Should my PSA results ultimately lead to a biopsy? If so, what can I expect?
- What kind of information does a biopsy provide?
- How often does a biopsy miss the diagnosis of prostate cancer?
- I’ve been told that prostate cancer is a slow-growing cancer. If the biopsy finds cancer in my prostate, is treatment always required?
If You Need a Biopsy
A prostate cancer screening by a primary care physician or urologist may reveal results that prompt a doctor to recommend a biopsy. Other supplementary tests and considerations may help you and your doctor decide if a biopsy is necessary.
- What percentage of my prostate gland was sampled during biopsy and how many tissue sections of “cores” were removed during my biopsy?
- I’m worried about infection from the biopsy. What precautions do you take to lower my risk?
- How representative of my entire prostate are these tissues cores likely to be?
- What did the pathologist look for when she or he examined my tissue samples under a microscope?
- What is my Gleason Score?
- What is the value of an MRI-guided biopsy for prostate cancer?
About Your Biopsy Results
- Aside from my Gleason score, will the biopsy results include any genetic tests?
- What is high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, or PIN? Is this cancer?
- Can I get a second opinion from another pathologist on my biopsy?
- If I have prostate cancer, what is my clinical stage? Do I need treatment?
- My biopsy results are negative, but my PSA is still elevated, what’s next?
- Will I need a repeat biopsy?