Digital Rectal Exam (DRE)

During this examination, a doctor inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to feel for irregular or abnormally firm area that might be a cancer. The prostate gland is located just in front of the rectum. Most cancers begin in the back part of the gland and can be reached by a rectal exam. While it is uncomfortable, the exam causes no pain and only takes a short time.

Although DRE is less effective than the PSA blood test in finding prostate cancer, it can sometimes find cancers in men with normal PSA levels. For this reason, the American Cancer Society guidelines recommend the use of both the DRE and PSA blood tests for early prostate cancer detection. The DRE is also used once a man is known to have prostate cancer to help determine if the cancer has spread beyond his prostate gland and to detect cancer that has returned after treatment.