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Test Details
PSA$54
Formal Name:
Prostate Specific Antigen
Reason for Taking This Test:
To screen asymptomatic and symptomatic men for prostate cancer, to help determine the necessity for a biopsy of the prostate, to monitor the effectiveness of treatment for prostate cancer, and to detect recurrence of prostate cancer
This Test is Recommended When:
The frequency of PSA testing is an individual decision. However, it is recommended that men over 50 have a PSA done annually.
Test Details:
What is being tested?
This test measures the amount of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. It was developed as a tumor marker to screen for and to monitor prostate cancer. It is a good tool, but not a perfect one. Elevated levels of PSA are associated with prostate cancer, but they may also be seen with prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
PSA is a protein produced primarily by cells in the prostate. Most of the PSA that the prostate produces is released into a fluid that makes up part of semen and small amounts of it are released into the bloodstream. PSA exists in two forms in the blood: free (not bound) and complexed (bound to a protein). The most frequently measured PSA test is the free and total PSA, which measures the sum of the free PSA and the cPSA (PSA complexed with other plasma proteins).
Free PSA and cPSA tests can also be ordered individually. The tests that measure them were developed to better differentiate between cancer-related and non-cancer-related PSA increases. Both of the tests operate on the principle that patients with prostate cancer frequently have altered ratios of the two forms of PSA - decreased amounts of free PSA and increased amounts of cPSA.
PSA is not diagnostic of cancer. The goal of the total PSA test is to minimize unnecessary biopsies and to detect clinically significant prostate cancer while it is still confined to the prostate.
How is the sample collected for testing?
A blood sample is obtained by inserting a needle into a vein in the arm.
Tests available anytime without an appointment,
or if you prefer, make an appointment
