Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)

What is a digital rectal examination?

A digital rectal examination (DRE) is when a healthcare professional checks your prostate gland.
They use a gloved, lubricated finger to check inside your back passage (rectum).
Your healthcare professional will most likely carry out a PSA test if they have concerns about your prostate. Visit our page on PSA tests for more information.
You may have a DRE if you are having problems with your prostate and your PSA is normal.

If your PSA test is high, you may not need a DRE.
Instead, you may be sent straight for a special scan called an MRI (link will open in a new tab).
The MRI will give your healthcare team a more detailed picture of your prostate.
You can go straight for an MRI if your healthcare team think you would be healthy enough to have radical treatment should you need it. I.e. if prostate cancer was diagnosed. Radical treatments include:
- Surgery to remove your prostate (prostatectomy)
- External radiotherapy (using strong x-rays from outside the body)
- Internal radiotherapy – brachytherapy (radiotherapy using small radioactive seeds or tubes inside the prostate).

The healthcare professional will use a gloved, lubricated finger to check inside your back passage (rectum). Please note, the healthcare professional will not be able to feel all your prostate.
Your prostate can be felt through the wall of your rectum. The doctor will check for any lumps or hard areas.

When you have had the DRE, the doctor will talk to you about what they found straight away.

If you are on active surveillance, and have already had an MRI, you will not need to have a DRE.

This information was updated in July 2025. It will be reviewed again in July 2027.
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