What do the results of the prostate cancer blood test mean?
A test for the prostate specific antigen (PSA) can be used to follow the success of treatment for prostate cancer and infection. If the levels drop, treatment is successful, if they rise it is not.
There has been a lot of controversy about the use of this test as a screening test for prostate cancer. A level of PSA below 4 micrograms per litre is nearly always normal, but unfortunately, many conditions other than cancer can cause the results to be high, and so it is not an absolute test for prostate cancer. A combination of tests for different types of PSA (free and combined PSA) may be a better form of screening, but is quite expensive.
At present the best way to determine if a person has prostate problems is to question them about their toilet habits (can they start their stream of urine easily, and does the urine come out freely and hit the porcelain, or does it dribble on their boots), and to examine the prostate gland directly by placing a finger through the anus to feel the gland.

How can blood tests determine if you had a particular infection years ago? I am pregnant and my doctor said after doing tests that I had German measles in the past, but I cannot remember this.
If you get an infection, or a vaccination against an infection, your blood produces antibodies to fight it. These antibodies remain even after the infection has cleared, and usually prevent most viral infections from developing again, in other words you are immune to it. Rubella (German measles) and chickenpox are examples of infections which, once suffered, will not usually recur.
A doctor may order a blood test to find out if a patient is at risk from a particular disease. For example, the doctor will want to know if a woman has had rubella (which can harm the foetus if the mother develops it during early pregnancy) or whether she should be immunised against it—although immunisation during pregnancy is not advisable. Sometimes tests are carried out to detect the presence of antigens themselves (antigens are substances that the body regards as foreign and to which it will develop antibodies). The presence of particular antigens in the blood indicates that the organism is still active and that, even though the symptoms have subsided, the person may be a carrier of a disease such as hepatitis B.
The progress of certain diseases can be assessed by testing the blood for specific immunoglobulins (antibodies) which differ according to whether the disease is current or past. Many infectious diseases such as glandular fever, AIDS, various forms of hepatitis, Ross River fever and measles can be diagnosed and followed by this type of test.

It helps more than 70 per cent of all cancer patients to get cured or obtain relief from pain or bleeding in advanced stages. It consists of either external therapy with X-rays or Gamma-rays or internal therapy called ‘brachytherapy’, where radioactive needles are directly implanted into the tumor. External beam therapy takes a few minutes daily and about five to six weeks to complete an entire course during which, besides the tumor, a large number of normal cells also receive radiation. While the latter suffer only temporary harm due to their capacity to recover, cancer cells are damaged permanently. In due course of time, the normal cells not only regain their function completely, but also re-grow to cover up the gap left by the destroyed cancer cells. Today, radiotherapy is planned and executed with the help of dedicated computers to get an optimum ratio between therapeutic and undesirable effects.
The side-effects of radiotherapy result from its action on the normal cells in the treated region. Hence, patients with mouth, throat or food-pipe (esophagus) cancers develop soreness or ulcers in their inner lining, leading to difficulty in swallowing while abdominal reactions manifest as diarrhea, cramps or vomiting. Majority of these effects are temporary and would subside within three to six weeks of completion of therapy. The skin of the treated area may show hair loss without any other damage.
Although different cancers respond variously, nearly 80 per cent of all cancers can be completely cured with standard therapy, if detected in stages I or II. Unfortunately, most of our patients come with advanced disease due to personal neglect or poor awareness on the part of primary care physicians. While most of these cases cannot be cured, the quality of their remaining life can be improved with modern palliative and rehabilitative care. Multipronged efforts including media support are desirable to create greater awareness among the people and care givers to promote early detection and prompt therapeutic intervention. Well-equipped facilities for cancer treatment are few in India and exist mainly in only about a dozen Regional Cancer Centers, besides a few medical colleges.