One problem with the digital rectal exam is that the exam tests about twenty percent of the prostate (Lewis 5). .
If the doctor has concerns about the results of the digital rectal exam or urine or blood tests, the doctor may want to take a closer look at the prostate. This can be done with a procedure called a transrectal ultrasound (Barrett 13). The doctors at the Mayo Clinic point out that ultrasonography is an imaging technique that uses sound waves to see inside the body. Ultrasound operates like radar, sending out sound waves that are reflected or absorbed to varying degrees, depending on the consistency of an object. During a transrectal ultrasound test, the doctor inserts a small, lubricated probe, which emits sound waves, into the rectum. The reflections from the waves are then translated by a computer and shown on a monitor (Barrett 14).
Another test that may determine if a man has prostate cancer is a urine test. A urine test will show the amount of white blood cells in the urine as well as any red blood cells that may be in the urine. Too many white blood cells in the urine may indicate an infection in the prostate. Red blood cells in the urine would indicate inflammation of the prostate or, perhaps, a tumor (Barrett 13). .
Another test that is given to patients is the PSA test also called the prostate-specific antigen. The PSA is a blood test; a small amount of blood is drawn from the patient's arm and analyzed for PSA (Meyer 35). The blood tested is then set to a scale that ranges from one to ten. A PSA reading of four or less is indicative of no cancer. There are also differences in the normal PSA reading of certain racial groups; Asian men, who have the lowest normal PSA, would have a normal PSA of 2.5 ng/mL to 3.0 ng/mL, Caucasian men have a higher PSA OF 3.5 ng/mL to 4.0 ng/mL, African men have the highest PSA of about 4.5 ng/mL to 5.0 ng/mL (Meyer 35). According to some doctors black men have a much higher chance of getting prostate cancer.
