What is a PSA test?
The PSA test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in a sample of a man’s blood. PSA is a protein produced primarily by cells in the prostate, the small, walnut-sized gland encircling the urethra in males. The prostate produces a fluid which energizes the sperm in semen. Most PSA is released into this fluid, but small amounts are also released into the bloodstream. Prostate-specific antigens can be detected at a low level in the blood of all healthy adult males. The PSA test, sometimes called a prostate cancer-screening test, was developed as a tumor marker to screen for and to monitor prostate cancer. Although PSA is present in both benign and cancerous prostate cells, the cancer cells usually produce more PSA, thereby causing concern when a male has greater-than-normal PSA levels. There are no universal guidelines for what numbers specify “normal” and “abnormal” PSA levels. However, most doctors and laboratories agree that for men over the age of forty, 2.5 or fewer
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by both cancerous (malignant) and noncancerous (benign) prostate tissue. PSA helps liquefy the semen. A small amount enters the bloodstream. Cancer cells usually make more PSA than do benign cells, causing PSA levels in your blood to rise. However, determining what a high PSA score means can be complicated.
And does a higher number reliably reflect the presence or a lower number reflect the absence of cancer? ANDREW VICKERS: OK, so PSA stands for prostate specific antigen. Antigen is a protein, and it’s specific to the prostate, because you only find that protein in the prostate. So what a doctor does is take a blood sample. And if he or she finds some PSA, some prostate specific antigen in your blood, that’s a sign that there’s something wrong with your prostate. The prostate should not be leaking chemicals such as the prostate specific antigen into your bloodstream. The point about the prostate specific antigen is it’s specific to the prostate; it’s not specific to prostate cancer. All it tells you is you have some kind of problem in your prostate, and that might be due to cancer, but it might also be due to other causes, such as an infection or to benign changes within the prostate. Generally speaking, men with a higher PSA value — and we’re talking typical values might be, say, four,
“; if (thcn.pageName == “Verticals”) thcn.pageName+=” > Prostate > What is a PSA Test?”; thcn.server=”grumpy.choicemedia.com”; thcn.channel=”Prostate Vertical”; thcn.pageType=””; thcn.hier1=”Verticals”; thcn.hier1+=”,Prostate”; thcn.hier1+=”,Manage”; thcn.hier1+=”,PSA”; if (thcn.hier1 == “Verticals”) thcn.hier1+=”,Prostate”; thcn.prop4=””; thcn.prop5=”What is a PSA Test?”; thcn.prop6=”CM Article”; thcn.prop20=”Prostate”; thcn.eVar7=””; thcn.eVar8=””; thcn.eVar9=””; CM_SET_CATEGORY_TRACKING(true); thcn.campaign=””; thcn.state=””; thcn.zip=””; thcn.events=””; thcn.products=””; thcn.purchaseID=””; thcn.eVar1=””; thcn.eVar2=””; thcn.eVar3=””; thcn.eVar4=””; thcn.eVar5=””; /************* DO NOT ALTER ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE ! **************/ var s_code=thcn.t();if(s_code)document.
The PSA or prostate specific antigen test is a blood test used to measure the amount of a particular protein found in a person’s blood. Prostate cells make this protein and normally the PSA level is usually low (less than 4.0 nanograms per milliliter). Prostate cancer and certain other conditions can raise the PSA value because of an increase in the amount of prostate specific protein circulating in the blood. If the PSA value is higher than 4.0 nanograms per milliliter in a normal middle-aged male, the doctor may consider further testing to see whether prostate cancer could be the cause.
