The most common tests used to screen men for signs of prostate cancer are the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test and the digital rectal examination (DRE).

The PSA test involves analyzing a small amount of blood drawn from your arm for PSA. The substance, produced naturally in your prostate gland to help liquefy semen, circulates is small amounts through your bloodstream. If higher-than-normal levels of PSA are detected, this could indicate prostate inflammation, prostate enlargement or prostate cancer.

Because your prostate gland lies in front of your rectum, the doctor uses the DRE to feel for nodules or areas of abnormal hardness in your prostate. These can indicate cancer.

The American Cancer Society advocates that men have both the PSA and DRE tests yearly after age 50. If you are African-American or have a family history of prostate cancer, you should begin testing at age 45.

Neither of these screening tests for prostate cancer is perfect. Many men with a mildly elevated PSA do not have prostate cancer, and men with prostate cancer may have normal PSA levels.

The DRE, on the other hand, is less effective than the PSA blood test in detecting prostate cancer, but it sometimes helps find cancers in men with normal PSA levels.

If you have had routine yearly examinations and either one of these test results becomes abnormal, your prostate cancer -- if confirmed -- is probably at an early stage.

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

Medicare and many insurance plans cover prostate cancer screening tests.