Contents:
- Medical Video: Understanding the Value of PSA Testing for Prostate Cancer Detection
- What is a PSA test?
- What is the normal PSA level?
- What does it mean if my PSA test results are more than normal?
- Variations in PSA tests
- There are other ways to detect prostate cancer in addition to passing PSA
- The PSA test is not only to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer
Medical Video: Understanding the Value of PSA Testing for Prostate Cancer Detection
Based on data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, in 2013 there were about 25 thousand adult men with prostate cancer. Reporting from Republika, Chaidir Arif Mochtar, urology specialist from Siloam ASRI Hospital, said that prostate cancer ranks sixth in most cancers in Indonesia after breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, and liver cancer. The main key to the success of cancer treatment is early detection. The PSA test is one of the options for prostate cancer screening. Here's all you need to know about this test.
What is a PSA test?
The PSA test is a blood test that is often used for prostate cancer screening. This test measures the amount of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in your blood. PSA itself is a protein specifically produced by the prostate gland.
After you take blood at a clinic or hospital, blood samples are sent to the laboratory for analysis. Test results are usually reported as nanograms per milliliter (ng / mL).
What is the normal PSA level?
PSA levels for each person can vary depending on age. Here is a general description of normal PSA levels per age group:
- Age 40-49 normal PSA level is 2.5 ng / mL
- Age 50-59 norms of PSA 4.5 ng / mL
- Age 60-69 normal PSA levels 5.0 ng / mL
- Age 70-75 normal PSA levels 7.2 ng / mL
What does it mean if my PSA test results are more than normal?
High PSA levels in the blood are often associated with the risk of prostate cancer. However, most men with high PSA levels apparently do not have prostate cancer.
Because the increase in PSA levels is not only caused by cancer. There are various other conditions that have nothing to do with prostate cancer but can also affect high levels of PSA in the blood, such as:
- Age. The older a person is, the PSA level in the blood also increases.
- Ejaculation. PSA levels in the blood will increase slightly after you have ejaculated.
- Enlargement of the prostate gland, or in medical language it is called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). Although the prostate gland is enlarged, this condition is not prostate cancer.
- Prostatitis. Inflammation of the prostate gland which is often caused due to infection.
- Medical handlers. All medical treatments performed around the prostate gland usually also increase the PSA level in the blood.
There are even conditions where PSA levels are low due to drugs used to treat BPH and also due to high-dose chemotherapy drugs. Obesity can also result in low results.
So when doctors find your PSA levels high, they will generally advise you to undergo a biopsy examination to find out if there really are cancer cells in your prostate tissue sample.
Biopsy aims to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer. However, only about 25% of men found to have prostate cancer after undergoing a biopsy as a reference for PSA testing.
Variations in PSA tests
Your doctor may use other methods to interpret the results of the PSA test before deciding to recommend a biopsy procedure to test for cancerous tissue. This other method is intended to improve the accuracy of PSA tests as a screening tool including:
- PSA Speed. PSA speed is a change in PSA level over time. A rapid rise in PSA can indicate cancer or an aggressive form of cancer. However, recent research doubts the value of PSA speed in predicting prostate cancer findings from biopsy.
- Percentage of PSA bound. PSA circulates in the blood in two forms, namely sticking to certain blood proteins or not bound (free). Well, if you have a high PSA level but the percentage of bound PSA is low, chances are that you have prostate cancer.
- PSA Density. PSA density measurement adjusts PSA value for prostate volume. Measuring PSA density generally requires an MRI or transrectal ultrasound.
There are other ways to detect prostate cancer in addition to passing PSA
The PSA test is one of the tools used to ensure the presence or absence of early signs of prostate cancer. Another common screening test that is often performed in addition to the PSA test is a digital rectal examination.
In this test, the doctor will insert a finger that has been lubricated with glucose to the rectum to reach the prostate. By feeling or pressing on the prostate, the doctor will assess whether you have a lump or an area that is abnormal or not.
Both the PSA test and digital rectal examination both provide information to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Abnormal results in this test can cause your doctor to recommend a prostate biopsy procedure.
The PSA test is not only to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer
The PSA test is not only done to confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer alone. In men who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, this test can be used to assess the effectiveness of treatment and repeated cancer examinations.
