Thursday, September 1, 2011

Does an ultrasound detect prostate cancer

does an ultrasound detect prostate cancer?
I was wondering if a normal pelvic ultrasound detects prostate cancer. My prostate was checked in an ultrasound about a month ago and it was normal. I'm wondering because I've had a lot of prostate problems and I'm only in my 20's. I knew a guy who was only 28 that had prostate cancer.
Cancer - 5 Answers
Random Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
1 :
Prostate cancer can be detected through anal ultasound test.It can be detected through normal abdominal sonogram scan.
2 :
I don't know about prostate cancer but it did show my wife's breast cancer when there were not any lumps yet.
3 :
Ultrasound should work, or CT scan. If you are having problems, don't stop bugging the docs. It's your life. Best of luck.
4 :
I am an ultrasound tech, but we do not do prostate ultrasound at my facility. But from what I know, prostate ultrasound is not a great screening tool to detect cancer. The experts recommend DRE (digital rectal exam) and PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen - a simple blood test). Here is what I found: "Transrectal Ultrasound (TRUS) This procedure uses a small probe that is inserted into the rectum. The probe emits and picks up high-frequency sound waves. The sound waves bounce off the prostate, producing a pattern that is converted into a video image. Areas of cancer produce a different pattern than healthy tissue. The value of a TRUS is strongly influenced by the quality of the equipment and the skill of the person operating it. While ultrasound does not provide enough specific information to make it a good screening tool by itself, doctors find it useful as a follow-up to a suspicious DRE or PSA. TRUS is also used to guide biopsies in sampling abnormal areas of the prostate, to estimate the volume of the prostate for calculating PSA density, and to situate radiotherapy implants." http://www.health-alliance.com/Cancer/Prostate/detection.html "There is a strong correlation between increasing age and developing prostate cancer. The incidence of prostate cancer increases steadily from fewer than 1 in 100,000 for men aged 40 years to 1146 per 100,000 in men aged 85 years. The median age at diagnosis of prostate cancer is 70.5 years. More than 80% of prostate cancers are diagnosed in men older than 65 years. Autopsy records indicate that 70% of men older than 90 years have at least one region of cancer in their prostate." http://www.emedicinehealth.com/prostate_cancer/page2_em.htm
5 :
You don't indicate what your prior prostate problems were-but with your age,I presume it's prostatitis. I dont believe there's a correlation between that and prostatic cancer. A "normal" transrectal ultrasound exam does not gaurantee that it's cancer free- depends on the quality of the scan, the experience of the sonographer,etc. Nornally though,if your PSA is in a normal range and does not significantly rise over a sequential period of time, and no abnormalities are felt by your physician on a digital rectal exam, I would not lose any sleep on it. Prostate cancer is very rare in your age range (as opposed to testicular cancer),but again,your friend's case shows that rarities exist.

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