Tests That Help Evaluate Prostate Cancer

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.

Bone Scan

This test shows whether cancer has spread to your bones. Your doctor may recommend a bone scan if your PSA level was greater than 10 ng/mL to help find out the stage of your cancer.

A bone scan is a kind of radionuclide scanning. For this test, you’re injected with a small amount of radioactive substance. It travels through the bloodstream and collects in areas of abnormal bone growth. You’ll lie on a table for about 30 minutes while a machine scans your body for the places the substance has collected. The amount of radioactive material used for this test is small. It shouldn’t be harmful to you or your family. If your doctor sees suspicious places, you may also have an MRI or a CT scan.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

MRIs are used to determine if cancer has spread outside of your prostate gland. For instance, it can spread into your lymph nodes. Or it can spread to other areas around the prostate, such as the seminal vesicles or bladder. MRIs produce a very clear picture of your prostate. Your doctor may recommend an MRI if your PSA score is very high or your DRE suggests extensive cancer.

In some cases, the technician will place a probe into your rectum to get better pictures.  For this test, you lie still on a table as it passes through a tubelike scanner. Then the scanner rotates around you. As it moves, it directs a continuous beam of magnetic waves at the area being examined. A computer uses the data from the magnetic waves to create a three-dimensional picture of the inside of your body. You may need more than one set of images. Each one may take 2 to 15 minutes, so the whole scan may take an hour or more. This test is painless and noninvasive. Ask for earplugs if they aren’t offered since there is a loud thumping noise during the scan. If you’re claustrophobic, you may be given a sedative before having this test.

Computed Tomography Scan (CT Scan)

During a CT scan, X-rays scan the pelvis in about 15 to 25 seconds. These special X-rays are 100 times more sensitive than a typical X-ray. When you have prostate cancer, these pictures help your doctor see if the tumors have spread into lymph nodes in your pelvis or into the liver. Unfortunately, like MRIs, CT scans have not been helpful in finding smaller amounts of cancer in the pelvic lymph nodes. Your doctor may recommend a CT scan if your PSA level is very high or if your DRE suggested that the cancer is extensive.

To have the test, you lie still on a table as it gradually slides through the center of the CT scanner. Then the scanner rotates around you, directing beams of X-rays at your pelvis. A computer uses the data from the X-rays to create many pictures of your pelvis, which can be used together to create a three-dimensional picture. A CT scan is painless and noninvasive. You may be asked to hold your breath one or more times during the scan. In some cases, you may be asked to drink a contrast dye 4 to 6 hours before the scan. And you may be asked not to eat anything in the time between drinking the contrast dye and the scan. The contrast dye will gradually pass through your system and exit through your bowel movements.