PSA Test – How it Works?

The PSA test is a blood test that measures the amount of Prostate specific antigen in your blood. PSA is a protein produced by normal cells in the Prostate; however it is also produced by the Prostate Cancer Cells. It is normal for all men to have small amount of PSA in their blood. A raised level may show that you have a problem with your Prostate, but not all high levels suggest Prostate Cancer.

How should have a PSA Test?

All men aged over 50 are recommended to have a PSA test as long as they have first talked through the pros and cons with their urologist. It may help to think about your risk of developing Prostate Cancer before you decide whether to have a PSA test or not.

A raised PSA level can show that there might be problem with your Prostate. To find out this problem may be, your urologist will ask you about any symptoms and can do a few other test.

The PSA Test and Prostate Cancer

A raised PSA level can be a sign of Prostate Cancer. But some men with normal PSA level can also have Prostate Cancer. If you are over 50 or have a close relative who has had a Prostate Cancer, you have a high risk of developing Prostate Cancer. Your urologist will consider your risk and use your PSA result along with examination of your Prostate to decide if you need for special test called a Prostate Biopsy.

The normal PSA Tests are : 4.0 ng/mL and lower. Therefore, if a man had a PSA level above 4.0 ng/mL, doctors would often recommend a prostate biopsy to determine whether prostate cancer was present.

However, more recent studies have shown that some men with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/mL have prostate cancer and that many men with higher levels do not have prostate cancer. In addition, various factors can cause a man’s PSA level to fluctuate. For example, a man’s PSA level often rises if he has prostatitis or a urinary tract infection. Prostate biopsies and prostate surgery also increase PSA level. Conversely, some drugs—including finasteride and dutasteride, which are used to treat BPH—lower a man’s PSA level. PSA level may also vary somewhat across testing laboratories.