About the Color Doppler Ultrasound Test for Prostate Cancer

Although 1 in every 6 men develops prostate cancer during his lifetime, only 1 out of every 35 men with the disease die, reports the American Cancer Society. One reason for the high success rate in the treatment of prostate cancer is use of specialized testing methods like the Color Doppler Ultrasound.

Identification

• During a Color Doppler Ultrasound, a technician covers your abdomen with a gel-like substance and then presses a hand-held transducer against the gel, transmitting pictures of your prostate onto a screen.

Function

• The Color Doppler Ultrasound measures blood flow to the area and displays the results in full color for interpretation by your radiologist and oncologist.

Effects

• Using the images gathered by the Color Doppler Ultrasound, your doctors have the ability to identify tumors on your prostate. The results also give information about the size, type and stage of the cancer.

Benefits

• Color Doppler Ultrasounds are quick and cause no pain, compared to needle biopsies. These ultrasounds also pose no threat for inflammation that may exacerbate tumors in some cases.

Considerations

• Although Color Doppler Ultrasound is effective in the majority of cases, it is possible for tumors of the prostate to not show up with the test. For example, a study by EJ Halpern at Thomas Jefferson University revealed that as many as 20 percent of Color Doppler Ultrasounds miss the presence of cancerous prostate tumors in patients.