PSA (Free and Total)

When PSA levels are elevated, it could be a sign of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is common and causes death. Early detection may help improve outcomes and help in timely treatment.

It is important to fully understand the risk and benefits of taking a PSA test. Your doctor will help you arrive at this decision. Prostate cancer itself is known to progress very slowly and therefore may not even have symptoms or complications arising from Prostate Cancer during a person’s lifetime.

Also another limitation of the PSA test is that levels may be elevated in a number of other conditions like an enlarged prostate, prostatitis, inflamed or infected prostate and also levels tend to go up with age. It also possible that the PSA test may entirely miss the cancer.

If you're having a PSA test, it is important to know that you should not have:

• Ejaculated for 48 hours prior to the test
• Done heavy exercise for 48 hours prior to the test
• A urinary infection or a recent infection
• Had a prostate biopsy in the past 6 weeks

Those who have a family history of PSA may choose to undergo the PSA test, under the guidance of their doctor to measure their risk level.

<4.0 ng/ml

The PSA test is a blood test to help detect prostate cancer.

Other names: Prostate Specific Antigen, PSA

 Prostate Specific Antigen is a protein produced by both cancerous and non-cancerous tissue in the prostate.  Prostate is a small gland in males and is located just below the bladder. Small amounts of PSA is always found circulating the blood and is also found in semen (produced by the prostate).