Diagnostics - Introduction
Early precaution
More than 70 percent of prostate carcinomas can be detected and cured at an early stage by means of targeted preventive examinations. Once a year, every man over the age of 40 should have a cancer screening examination performed by an urologist. The highest level of safety in diagnosing prostate carcinoma at an early stage is currently provided by the combination of the two:
Control of the PSA value in the blood (PSA: prostate specific antigen) Touch examination of the prostate gland Ultrasound examination with a high-resolution colour duplex ultrasound device of the latest generation (colour duplex sonography)
Reliable diagnosis of prostate cancer
If prostate cancer is suspected in the preventive examinations, a biopsy is required to secure the patient. The tissue of the prostate gland is examined for the presence of tumor cells. On the basis of the pathological findings (biopsy), the PSA value and the palpation findings, a precise prognosis can be made with regard to the local limitation of the cancer to the prostate.
If the biopsy does not provide tumor detection, but if the PSA level continues to rise, further examinations with modern imaging methods are advisable. In addition to colour duplex ultrasound, the West German Prostate Center uses real-time elastography and/or multiparametric 3-Tesla magnetic resonance tomography.
Classification of the tumor stage
If prostate cancer is actually diagnosed, the aggressiveness and spread of the tumour must be precisely determined. Only then can the optimal therapy recommendation be made with the best possible chances of recovery. The WPZ offers various methods for the exact classification of the tumour stage: