What is Prostate Specific Antigen?

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is a chemical substance produced by the prostate gland. Some conditions of the prostate will raise the level of PSA in the blood. While elevated level of Prostate Specific Antigen is not harmful, it is an important indication of possible prostate disease.

Just as the PAP smear test is a necessity for women over 30, the PSA test for prostate cancer is a must for men over 40. The PSA test measures the level of protease, which is a protein secreted by the prostate gland. If the levels of PSA in the blood are high, this is an indication of prostate cancer and benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). Early detection of prostate cancer has a good chance of a cure. Hence, Prostate Specific Antigen test is a very important test. There are possibilities when the Prostate Specific Antigen test will show a very low reading. In this case, the PSA test will be complemented by another test, namely the monoclonal antibody technique. Through this technique, all the PSA present in the blood (including joined with other substances) can be measured. The total PSA reading is the sum of both these tests. The test result should not exceed 4.5 ng/ml; if it does, then a biopsy would be needed in order to rule out the possibility of prostate cancer.

Other Possibilities

The prostate specific antigen test has dual purposes. It is used for diagnosis - specifically to detect cancer, and to check how well a patient is responding to treatment.

High prostate specific antigen level in the blood could be indicative of other prostate diseases such as prostate infection and prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement of the prostate). In many medical facilities, the prostate specific antigen test is offered free of charge.

You have to watch your diet and medication when you take a prostate specific antigen test, because the amount of this protein in the blood can to be influenced by drugs and herbal product. You should advise the doctor accordingly if you are undertaking treatment - herbal, drugs or any other alternative medicine. An inaccurate reading could obscure the presence of prostate cancer. Hence, the prostate specific antigen test should be carried out only free of interference.

The prostate specific antigen test is only one part of a comprehensive health-screening program and should be done annually along with your annual physical.

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