What is prostate specific antigen

Scientists are investigating ways to improve the PSA test to give doctors the ability to better distinguish cancerous from benign conditions and slow-growing cancers from fast-growing, potentially lethal cancers. None has been proven to decrease the risk of death from prostate cancer. Some of the methods being studied include:. Menu Contact Dictionary Search. Understanding Cancer. What Is Cancer? Cancer Statistics.

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Cancer Health Disparities. Childhood Cancers Research. Global Cancer Research. Cancer Research Infrastructure. Clinical Trials. Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. Bioinformatics, Big Data, and Cancer. Prostate cancer is more common in men over the age of You've already been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The PSA test can help monitor the effects of your treatment. What happens during a PSA test?

Will I need to do anything to prepare for the test? Are there any risks to the test? What do the results mean? If your PSA levels are higher than normal, your health care provider will probably order more tests, including: A rectal exam.

For this test, your health care provider will insert a gloved finger into your rectum to feel your prostate. A biopsy. This is a minor surgical procedure, where a provider will take a small sample of prostate cells for testing.

If you have questions about your results, talk to your health care provider. Is there anything else I need to know about a PSA test? References American Cancer Society [Internet]. Atlanta: American Cancer Society Inc. Testing for Prostate Cancer; May [cited Jan 2]; [about 2 screens]. Early Detection of Prostate Cancer [cited Dec 28]; [about 3 screens].

Atlanta: U. Prostate-Specific Antigen; p. Johns Hopkins Medicine [Internet]. American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c— Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; c— But it's not perfect and will not find all prostate cancers.

The test, which can be done at a GP surgery, measures the level of prostate-specific antigen PSA in your blood. PSA is a protein made only by the prostate gland. Some of it leaks into your blood, but how much depends on your age and the health of your prostate. There's currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK because the PSA test is not always accurate.

Before deciding to have the PSA test, you may want to talk to a GP and practice nurse, as well as your partner or a friend or family member. A raised PSA level in your blood may be a sign of prostate cancer, but it can also be a sign of another condition that's not cancer, such as:.

About 3 in 4 men with a raised PSA level will not have cancer. A GP may also perform a digital rectal examination DRE to feel for any changes to your prostate gland.