These may include:

• A repeat of the PSA blood test
• A biopsy called a trans-rectal ultra sound (TRUS) guided prostate needle biopsy
• A computerised tomography (CT) scan
• A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan
• A bone scan with or without X-rays
• An ultrasound scan
• A urine flow test, to measure the speed of your flow

Your doctors, specialist nurses and other health professionals will give you support and help you make any decisions. You can also speak to the specialist nurses on our confidential Helpline.

These tests are less commonly used and may not be available in all areas:

• Free to total PSA. This measures the ratio between two different types of PSA found in the blood. It can help your doctor see if you may be more likely to have prostate cancer but it is not completely accurate.
• A type of MRI scan called a 'diffusion scan'. This helps identify any abnormal-looking areas of the prostate to focus attention on for the biopsy.
• A urine test called a PCA3 test. Your doctor or nurse will massage your prostate and then take a urine sample for testing. Unlike the PSA test, the PCA3 test is not affected by the size of a man's prostate gland and so it may be particularly helpful if a man has an enlarged prostate. This test is not usually available on the NHS. The test may be useful for men with raised PSA levels whose biopsy results show no sign of cancer. However the test is not completely accurate on its own.

You can find a list of references used to produce this page in our online fact sheet.