The digital prostate exam is a test that can be done to detect the possibilities of a prostate cancer situation. In most cases where men are above the age of 50 there is a PSA test that is recommended every year so that if there is a condition that is arising that indicates prostate cancer it can be detected. In this test high levels of the protein specific antigen or PSA indicate the possibility of a cancer. However, the issue is that high levels of PSA are not a confirmation of the fact that the patient has cancer and there are other tests that are required to confirm the hypothesis. This is mainly because of the fact that benign prostatic hypertrophy (also called BPH) and an inflammation of the prostate (a condition called prostatitis) can also result in high levels of the PSA in the blood. Therefore when there is a test result for the PSA that is higher than the normal of 4 nanograms per millimeter, doctors do not panic and recommend a digital prostate exam to conform any situation. Test results of between 4 and 30 are considered to be borderline cases.

The prostate examination involves a rectal examination that is done using the finger since the position of the prostate is near the rectum. The fact is also that if there is a condition that indicates a problem with the prostate, it generally gets enlarged and the prostate pushes against the urethra and this is a condition that makes urination difficult. It results in a situation where the patient feels that he needs to go to the urine all the time. On top of that, the amount of urination that comes is not too much leading to a fair amount of discomfort and many times the patient needs to get up in the middle of the night.

Prostate exams can range from the regular PSA blood test that determines the level of PSA in the blood to a digital rectal examination that can be more uncomfortable than painful and also a biopsy that is the final word on the cancer. The PSA test is only considered to be a screening test.

Other prostrate exam needs to be done to confirm the possibility of a cancer situation. The biopsy is one definite test since it takes a piece of the tissue from the prostate and then determines whether the tissue has cells that indicate cancer or whether it is just a benign condition.

The digital prostate exam is the next exam that is done after the screening test shows a borderline result of the PSA (protein specific antigen). The rectal examination is something that is not so comfortable but it needs to be done if the condition is borderline to confirm the results from a digital prostate exam.