Featured:
Allergies
Grilling Guide
eHow Now Blog

What Is a PSA Medical Test?

In men, the prostate gland releases a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) into the blood. A PSA medical test measures how much prostate-specific antigen is in the blood.

  1. Healthy PSA

    • Healthy men have low PSA blood levels. As a man ages, his PSA level normally increases as his prostrate naturally becomes larger.

    High PSA

    • A high PSA level can occur because of inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis) or prostate cancer. Other reasons for a temporarily high PSA level are an injury, a digital rectal exam or sexual activity.

    About PSA Tests

    • PSA test results are usually reported as nanograms of PSA per milliliter (ng/mL) of blood. According to the National Cancer Institute, there is no specific normal or abnormal PSA level, and opinions vary among doctors as to when to run additional tests.

    Considerations

    • High PSA by itself is not enough to diagnose any condition, but doctors may use it to decide what other tests to run.

    Cautions

    • According to the National Cancer Institute, using the PSA test to screen men for prostate cancer is controversial because whether this test actually saves lives is not yet known. Also, the benefits of PSA screening may not outweigh the risks of follow-up diagnostic tests and cancer treatments.

Related Searches:

References

You May Also Like

  • Medical Reasons for an Elevated PSA

    Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced in the prostate of every man. When the prostate size increases, the PSA levels usually...

  • PSA Test Types

    PSA Test Types. In men, the prostate gland is responsible for keeping seminal fluid in the liquid state. Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)...

  • How to Prepare for a PSA Test

    Men over 50 experiencing frequent, painful urination and back or pelvic pain could have prostate cancer. To test for this, a doctor...

  • What Does it Mean If a PSA Blood Test Is Low?

    The PSA blood test scans for the level of the prostate-specific antibody. High PSA levels are associated with the development of prostate...

  • How to Measure Free PSA Count

    Free prostate-specific antigen or PSA is a protein that is not attached to other proteins in the bloodstream. Most PSA tests that...

  • What Are the Causes of High Levels in a PSA Reading?

    Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in men. Once detected only by a digital rectal exam, or...

  • PSA Testing Methods

    PSA Testing Methods. The prostate specific antigen is a protein produced in the prostate gland. According to the National Cancer Institute, it...

  • PSA Test Procedures

    A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is primarily used as early screening for prostate cancer before symptoms of the disease appear. The test...

  • What Foods Increase PSA Levels?

    Prostate specific antigen, otherwise known as PSA, is a type of protein that is produced from the cells of the prostate gland....

  • What Can Effect a PSA Reading?

    A PSA reading is a measurement of the prostate-specific antigen, which is a protein found in the prostate cells. This level is...

  • Information on the PSA Blood Test

    PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a protein the cells of the prostate gland produce. A physician will take a simple blood test...

  • Levels of the PSA Test

    Levels of blood protein prostate-specific antigen or PSA can help doctors detect early signs of prostate cancer, a leading cause of cancer...

  • The Effect of a Urinary Infection on PSA Level

    A PSA (prostate-specific antigen) laboratory test measures the blood level of a protein produced by the prostate gland in men. While a...

  • What Do the PSA Test Numbers Mean?

    Every year, nearly 218,000 U.S. men are diagnosed with prostate cancer --- and more than 32,000 die from the disease. While those...

  • What Are the Causes of a High PSA Test Reading?

    A prostate specific antigen, or PSA, test can provide early warning of prostate cancer or other problems. PSA is a protein produced...

  • Reasons Other Than Cancer for High PSA

    A PSA test is a blood test that measures the amount of a protein, prostate-specific antigen. A high PSA level can indicate...

  • What Is PTC in Medical Terminology?

    PTC is the abbreviation for percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography, an x-ray test that shows blockages in the liver or bile ducts. The test...

  • What Are the Causes of False PSA Readings?

    Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a hormone-like chemical given off by a cancerous male prostate gland. There are circumstances that can cause...

  • How to Reverse PSA Levels

    Elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are no reason to conclude that you definitely have prostate cancer. If the reading is between 4.0...

Related Ads

thumbnail
Featured