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If you're having prostate-cancer-like symptoms, your doctor will want to know why. Your doctor is likely to ask you questions about your:
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Cystoscopy is a procedure that lets your doctor look directly inside your urethra and bladder. It can be used to:
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An intravenous pyelogram (IVP) is an x-ray exam of your urinary tract (kidneys, ureters, and bladder). This test can help find stones or other problems with your urinary tract.
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A biopsy is the only way to know for sure if you have cancer. The most common way to take a biopsy of the prostate is by a core needle biopsy. Your doctor uses a transurethral ultrasound as a guide on where to take the biopsy. Your doctor may recommend a specialist to do these tests. A doctor who specializes in problems in the urinary or genital tract is called an urologist.
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If the results of your exam and tests lead your doctor to suspect prostate cancer, a core needle biopsy will be done. A thin needle is used to remove small samples of prostate tissue. These samples are checked for cancer.
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Sometimes, a biopsy will show prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). This is not prostate cancer. It is a noncancerous growth of the cells. However, a man who has PIN may have a higher than average risk of getting prostate cancer in the future.
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Your doctor took a biopsy from your prostate to know that you have cancer. Your doctor may request more tests to learn more about your specific type of cancer and its specific location to help decide on the treatment that is likely to be most effective for you. You may also need to have imaging tests, which help your doctor see what's happening in your body. Here are some the imaging tests you may need to have.
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If a potential prostate problem is identified through a digital rectal exam or a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, your doctor may suggest that you have an ultrasound.
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Ultrasound is an imaging test. It uses sound waves to form pictures of your organs that appear on a screen. Transrectal ultrasound uses a special probe that is placed directly into the rectum. This test lets your doctor assess the prostate gland, which is in front of your rectum. During the test, tissue samples (biopsy) may also be taken.
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Prostate cancer acts differently in each man. The way a cancer grows is called its pathophysiology. Cancer has different phases of development. Grade is the word doctors use to describe how the cancer cells look. The pathologist who looked at the cells obtained from your biopsy determines your cancer's grade. The most common system for grading prostate tumors is the Gleason scale.
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Stage is the word doctors use to communicate the size of a cancerous tumor and where and how far it has spread. The first place cancer is found in the body is called the primary site or primary tumor. When a cancer spreads, it's said to have metastasized. There are 2 types of stages of cancer, clinical and pathological.
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A prognosis is a statement about the prospect of surviving and recovering from a disease. It may sound hard to ask, "Can I survive this?” But it's a question most men have when they learn they have prostate cancer. Unfortunately, there isn't an easy answer.
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The prognosis for men diagnosed with prostate cancer before it has spread is excellent. These are the facts according to the 2007 Cancer Facts & Figures from the American Cancer Society. The survival rate for men whose prostate cancer is found while it's still in only the prostate is about 100%. Doctors find 90% of all prostate cancers while they're still in this stage. The overall survival rates for all stages combined are also good.
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