Prostate Cancer Canada

About Prostate Cancer

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In The News

Media Advisory - Prostate Cancer Canada celebrates local Vancouver Hero
Vancouver, British Colombia, April 16 –– Prostate Cancer Canada will honour the late Jack Poole, former VANOC Board Chair and local businessman, with the Local Hero Award. Jack was a generous benefactor to the Vancouver General Hospital and UBC Hospital Foundation with gifts totalling $3 Million for “Jack the Robot”, a da Vinci S HD surgical system, and a $1 Million gift towards the Robert H. N. Ho Research Centre. His lead donation attracted a further $3.5 million in donations including $1.5 million from Jimmy Pattison. Together these donations enabled VGH to become the fourth Canadian hospital to employ robotic technology in surgery.

Media Advisory- Prostate Cancer Canada celebrates local Calgary Hero
Calgary, AB, April 10 –– Local Hero Dr. Jay Lee will be honoured on April 11th at the annual Wake Up Call Breakfast, hosted by Prostate Cancer Canada, in partnership with the Prostate Cancer Centre. Dr. Lee is being recognized for his extraordinary contribution to the fight against prostate cancer.

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Testing and Diagnosis

Regular testing increases the likelihood of cancer being detected at an early stage when there are more treatment options and the chance of cure is highest.

The PSA Test

This is a simple blood test that your doctor can order. It measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate that helps keep semen in liquid form. Typically, cancerous prostate glands release more PSA into the blood circulation than healthy prostate glands. Therefore, a high PSA level can be a warning sign of prostate cancer.

The Digital Rectal Exam

In a digital rectal exam (DRE), your doctor will feel the size and shape of the prostate by inserting a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum. The area where most prostate cancers are found can be felt during this test. A healthy prostate feels soft, rubbery, smooth, symmetrical, regular and even. Any lumps, or hard, woody or irregular areas of the prostate may indicate the presence of cancer and will require further testing.

It is important to remember that no test is perfect. Combining the PSA blood test with a DRE provides your doctor with more information and helps to increase the accuracy of these early detection methods.

Photo: D. Heydemann ©, PhotoSensitive