American Cancer Society

Digital rectal exams (DREs) typify much of what's wrong with our health care system.  Men dread going to go get them, they're unpleasant, they vividly illustrate the physician-patient hierarchy, and -- oh, by the way -- they apparently don't actually provide much value. By the same token, routine pelvic exams for healthy women also don't have any proven value either. The recent conclusions about DREs come from a new study.  One of the researchers, Dr. Ryan Terlecki, declared: "The evidence suggests that in most cases, it is time to abandon the digital rectal exam (DRE).  Our findings will likely be welcomed by patients and doctors alike"...