PSA
Utility, Function and Importance
If your PSA level is high, your doctor may recommend waiting a short time and repeating the test or doing a prostate biopsy to find out if you have cancer.
What tests can find prostate cancer early?
The tests discussed below are used to check for signs of prostate cancer. However, early detection tests cannot tell for sure if you have cancer. If the result of one of these tests is abnormal, you will probably need a prostate biopsy to determine if you have cancer
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test
Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a substance produced by cells in the prostate gland (it is produced by normal and cancer cells). PSA is found mainly in semen, although it can also be found in small amounts in the blood.
Most men without prostate cancer have PSA levels less than 4 nanograms (ng / mL) per milliliter of blood. The chance of having prostate cancer increases as the PSA level rises.
When prostate cancer forms, the PSA level usually rises to more than 4 nanograms. However, a level below 4 does not guarantee that a man does not have cancer. About 15% of men who have a PSA less than 4 will develop prostate cancer on a biopsy.
Men with a PSA level of 4 to 10 have a 1 in 4 chance of developing prostate cancer. If the PSA is greater than 10, the probability of having prostate cancer is more than 50%.
If your PSA level is high, your doctor may recommend waiting a short time and repeating the test or doing a prostate biopsy to find out if you have cancer. Not all doctors use the same cutoff value for PSA to decide when to have a prostate biopsy. If the PSA is 4 or higher, some doctors may recommend the biopsy, while others may recommend starting at a lower level, such as 2.5 or 3. Other factors can also affect this decision, such as age, race, and family history.