The digital rectal examination (DRE) is a basic and easy screening test for prostate cancer. To perform the exam, a doctor inserts a lubricated, gloved finger into the rectum, and feels the prostate through the rectal wall to check for hard or lumpy areas.

The outer portion of the prostate gland is where about 70 percent of cancerous tumors develop. In their early stages, these tumors often feel to the doctor like hard spots. For the patient, they are painless.

The doctor, however, will not be able to feel the 30 percent of tumors that sit deep in the prostate gland. Hence, the DRE is less effective than the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test in finding prostate cancer.

The digital rectal exam does enable doctors, however, to sometimes find cancers in men with normal PSA levels. The American Cancer Society recommends the DRE be used in combination with the PSA for early prostate cancer detection.

If your DRE test results suggest the possibility of prostate cancer, your doctor will likely suggest a biopsy.