<img src=/static/apps/handbook/imgs/pca3andmips.png width=376><p style="font-size:20px;font-weight:bold">Specimen Collection </p>1. Perform an attentive DRE immediately prior to specimen collection (the specimen should be collected within approximately 1 hour of DRE):
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Apply firm pressure from the base to the apex and from the lateral to the medial line of the prostate.
Apply enough pressure to depress the surface slightly.
Perform 3 strokes for each lobe.
[/list]2. Instruct patient to collect the FIRST 20 - 30 mL of voided urine (do not catheterize) following the DRE.
3. <b>Process the specimen within 4 hours of collection </b> (if specimen cannot be processed within 15 minutes, store refrigerated or on ice and process within 4 hours).
<p style="font-size:20px;font-weight:bold">Specimen Processing </p>1. Invert specimen cup 5 times to re-suspend cells.
2. Add 2.3 mL of urine to each of two GEN-PROBE PROGENSA PCA3 Urine Specimen Transport Tubes. <span style="color:red">Do not puncture the foil seal on the cap of the Transport Tube. </span style="color:red"> The specimen volume must fall between the two black fill lines on the Transport Tube.
3. Tightly re-cap each Urine Transport Tube and gently invert 5 times to mix; do not shake or vortex. The specimen is now a "processed" urine specimen. Refrigerate. Refrigerated specimens must be received by performing laboratory within 5 days of collection. For longer storage, freeze and ship specimen on dry ice.
4. Label each Transport Tube with the patient’s first and last names as well as a second identifier such as the patient’s date of birth or medical record number.
5. Include serum PSA result and patient history with the specimens.