Prostate disease

If you have any of the symptoms of prostate enlargement and prostate cancer, or prostatitis, you should speak with your GP. Your GP may carry out the following tests, or may refer you to a urologist (a doctor who specialises in the urinary system) for tests.
Your doctor will ask you about the symptoms you have been experiencing, and how often you pass urine. You may also have a digital rectal examination (DRE). This is when a doctor inserts a gloved finger into your rectum so they can feel one side of your prostate through the front wall of your rectum. This test may be uncomfortable, but is usually painless.
When your prostate is examined during a rectal examination, a cancerous prostate will feel lumpy or irregular, while an enlarged prostate will feel smooth and even. An inflamed prostate (prostatitis) may be tender to the touch, and your penis may discharge a small amount of pus when your prostate is massaged with a finger.
Your doctor may also do a blood test that measures your PSA (prostate specific antigen). PSA is a protein that is produced naturally by the prostate, and high levels of it can indicate increased prostate activity. This means that the level can be raised if your prostate is enlarged or cancerous, or if you have prostatitis.
A high level of PSA in your blood doesnt however necessarily mean that you have a condition affecting your prostate. It is also possible that the level of PSA in your blood will not be affected by a prostate condition. Therefore, a PSA blood test will be used alongside other methods of diagnosis.
Other types of blood and urine tests may also be used. For example, you may have a test taken to find out how your kidneys are working, or to test for bacterial infections that can cause prostatitis.