PSA (prostatic specific antigen) is a blood test to detect
prostate cancer. It helps point to a prostate cancer before it is visible or
palpable. The American Cancer Society recommends a yearly PSA for men over 50.
If a man has a family history of prostate cancer, a PSA should begin at 40 years
of age because these men have a greater chance of getting prostate cancer at an
earlier age. The PSA makes prostate cancer detectable at an earlier stage than
any other test available.
If your physician sends you for a total PSA blood test and it
is elevated, another test called a free PSA might be added. This test helps
differentiate if the elevated PSA is from cancer or from benign disease. An
elevated PSA does not necessarily mean prostate cancer. This is a helpful test
but not absolute. Even with all our tests, clinical judgment is still necessary
to help define when to biopsy for prostate cancer.
PSA has become a prostate cancer-screening tool. A tool is
only as useful as the person using it. It has taken several years to show that
PSA has helped us discover prostate cancers earlier in its course. This allows
possible treatment before the prostate cancer can spread and therefore possible
cure of the disease.
Prostate cancer can be cured if found early enough. Prostate
cancer is defined as low-grade to high-grade. A Dr. Gleason created the Gleason
score to show whether the cancer is low, moderate, or high grade. Low-grade is
much less aggressive and high-grade aggessive.
