Information

Diagnosis tests

A PSA test is a blood test that measures the total amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. A raised PSA level may show that you have a problem with your prostate, not necessarily prostate cancer.

Digital rectal examination (DRE)

This is where a doctor or nurse feels your prostate gland through the wall of your back passage (rectum). It is a common way of helping to diagnose a problem with your prostate.

Biopsy

This involves taking small pieces of prostate tissue to look at more closely under a microscope for signs of prostate cancer. The aim is to detect prostate cancer that has the potential to cause symptoms or affect your life expectancy.

Scans

If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, you may need to have one or more scans to find out whether the cancer is likely to have spread outside the prostate gland.

How prostate cancer is diagnosed

This fact sheet is for anyone who would like to know more about how prostate cancer is diagnosed. It describes the tests used to diagnose prostate cancer and explains what the results may show.

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