DRE stands for digital rectal examination. It is a medical procedure and common screening tool used to evaluate the health of the prostate gland.
Key details regarding the DRE from the sources include:
- Procedure: It involves a clinician manually examining the prostate by inserting a gloved, lubricated finger into the rectum to feel for abnormalities in the gland’s size, shape, or texture.
- Purpose in Screening: It is most commonly used in conjunction with the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test to screen asymptomatic men for prostate cancer. While a DRE can detect abnormalities, it is often noted that PSA is specific to the prostate but not specific for cancer, and the two tests together provide a more comprehensive evaluation.
- Role in Monitoring: For patients undergoing active surveillance for very-low or low-risk disease, a DRE is typically performed no more often than every 12 months unless it is clinically indicated.
- Effect on PSA Levels: Prostatic manipulation during a DRE can cause a slight increase in a patient’s PSA levels. Although this increase is generally not considered clinically significant, guidelines suggest measuring PSA either prior to or immediately following the DRE.
- Factors Influencing Accuracy: Certain medications, such as the 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor finasteride, have been proposed to increase the sensitivity of the DRE in detecting overall and high-grade prostate cancer.
Synonyms
DRE