How to Diagnose Prostate Cancer With a Bladder Biopsy

According to Medline Plus, prostate cancer is a type of cancer that most often affects men over the age of 40. Symptoms that potentially indicate the presence of prostate cancer include urine dribbling, pain in the lower back, and pain while ejaculating. The tests used to potentially diagnose prostate cancer are many, but when the doctor has cause to believe that prostate cancer has begun to spread throughout the body, he may order an indirect test such as a biopsy of surrounding tissue (such as the bladder) to confirm or deny his suspicions.

Instructions

• 1

  Consult with your doctor to determine whether the initial tests suggest that the cancer has spread to other areas of your body. According to the American Cancer Society, a PSA (prostate specific antigen) score which is above 20 might indicate such a result, necessitating a biopsy of surrounding areas such as the bladder and lymph nodes to provide an accurate diagnosis.

• 2

  Consider surgical biopsy options to test the bladder for cancerous cells. Generally speaking, a biopsy is removal of a portion of the suspected area to test for the presence of cancer cells. However, this can be performed in a number of different ways. The primary alternative available to test the bladder for cancer involves the use of a surgical procedure known as a cystoscopy. This consists of a small tube with an attached camera inserted into the abdomen through the urethra. To remove a sample of tissue, a small cutting implement can be passed through the center of the tube to remove a sample of tissue.

• 3

  Send the removed tissue to a lab for testing in order to determine whether the cells removed were cancerous. The lab will report back with either a positive result, indicating that cancerous cells were found, or a negative result, indicating a clean bill of health. Although invasive, a biopsy is the only real method of conclusively determining whether cancer is present, so it can provide you with the final word on whether you are affected with prostate cancer.