What is PSA velocity?
Basically, PSA velocity if the rate at which your PSA level increases from year to year. Let’s say you have the following PSA values over time: • January 2008: 1.4 ng/mL • January 2009: 1.9 ng/mL • January 2010: 1.9 ng/mL • January 2011: 3.1 ng/mL • April 2011: 3.6 ng/ml Then what is your PSA velocity? If we make the assumption that your PSA was stable at the initial value of 1.4 ng/mL, then your PSA velocity is an increase of 3.6 – 1.4 = 2.2 ng/mL over 39 months = 0.68 ng/mL per year. On the other hand, if we assume your PSA was still stable at 1.9 ng/mL, then your PSA velocity is 3.6 – 1.9 = 1.7 ng/mL over 15 months = 1.36 ng/mL per year. In other words, your PSA velocity depends on the PSA values you have available and over what length of time. In the example given above, an alternative way to look at the data is to ask what this patient’s PSA velocity has been over the past year. This would appear to be approximately 3.6 – 1.9 = 1.7 ng/mL over 12 months = 1.36 ng/mL per year. Howev
Basically, PSA velocity is the rate at which your PSA level increases from year to year. Let’s say you have the following PSA values over time: • January 2008: 1.4 ng/ml • January 2009: 1.9 ng/ml • January 2010: 1.9 ng/ml • January 2011: 3.1 ng/ml • April 2011: 3.6 ng/ml Then what is your PSA velocity? If we make the assumption that your PSA was stable at the initial value of 1.4 ng/ml, then your PSA velocity is an increase of 3.6 – 1.4 = 2.2 ng/ml over 39 months = 0.68 ng/ml per year. On the other hand, if we assume your PSA was still stable at 1.9 ng/ml, then your PSA velocity is 3.6 – 1.9 = 1.7 ng/ml over 15 months = 1.36 ng/ml per year. In other words, your PSA velocity depends on the PSA values you have available and over what length of time. In the example given above, an alternative way to look at the data is to ask what this patient’s PSA velocity has been over the past year. This would appear to be approximately 3.6 – 1.9 = 1.7 ng/ml over 12 months = 1.36 ng/ml per year. Howev
