Digital Rectal Examination
Digital rectal examination (DRE) is a procedure where the examiner inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to check the size, shape, and texture of the prostate. Areas that are irregular, hard, or lumpy need further evaluation, since they may contain cancer. Although the DRE evaluates only the back of the prostate, 85% of prostate cancers arise in this part of the prostate. Prostate cancer that can be felt on DRE is, in general, more advanced. The use of DRE has never been shown to prevent prostate cancer deaths when used as the only screening test.
Read more about this topic: Prostate Cancer Screening
Famous quotes containing the word examination:
“The Afrocentric exploration of the black past only scratches the surface. A full examination of the ancestry of those who are referred to in the newspapers as blacks and African Americans must include Europe and Native America.”
—Ishmael Reed (b. 1938)