Should you get a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test? If you're over 50, and don't have prostate cancer, you may want to consider being tested. You can discuss the PSA test with your provider, as well as use the following information to help you decide.
PSA is a protein made by the prostate gland. The PSA test is a blood test that measures the amount of PSA in your blood. The PSA test can help your health-care provider detect prostate cancer early.
There are three things you can do to help make this decision:
The PSA test can find cancer earlier than the Digital Rectal Exam (DRE).
Keep in mind the PSA test is not perfect:
The PSA test can only tell you if your PSA level is abnormal. An abnormal PSA level is one that is higher than the level found in other men. An abnormal PSA could be a result of prostate cancer, benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or a prostate infection.
If you have a higher than normal PSA test result, your health-care provider may suggest that you have a prostate biopsy. A prostate biopsy is a procedure that involves removing a small piece of your prostate with a needle. It can be very uncomfortable but it is needed to tell whether or not you have prostate cancer.
If a biopsy shows you have prostate cancer, you will have to decide whether or not you want to be treated for prostate cancer. This can be a difficult decision for some men because:
For more information on prostate cancer, please visit the Comprehensive Prostate Cancer Clinic.