International braz j urol : official journal of the Brazilian Society of Urology
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In recent years, there has been a rise in the incidence of prostate cancer (PCa), and routine screening for the disease has become a well accepted clinical practice. Even with the recognized benefit of this approach, some men are still reluctant to undergo digital rectal examination (DRE). For this reason, we designed the present study in order to better understand men's reactions about this method of screening. The aim was to identify possible drawbacks that could be overcome to increase DRE. ⋯ Patient expectations about DRE were negative before examination and changed significantly following the exam. Pain during examination was negligible, contrary to the prevalent belief. These two findings must be clearly presented to patients in order to improve PCa screening acceptance.