Prostate-Specific
Antigen (PSA) Test
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What is the
test?
A man’s prostate produces a protein called "prostate-specific
antigen" that can be measured in the blood.
Some diseases, including prostate cancer, cause
the prostate to make a larger quantity of this
protein. By measuring prostate-specific antigen
levels in your bloodstream, doctors may be able
to find prostate cancers in their early stages.
Doctors still disagree about whether it is a
good idea for all men to have this test done
after they turn 50. One reason is that many prostate
cancers that are found by the PSA test are destined
to remain tiny areas inside the prostate gland,
never to spread and cause medical problems. Discovering
such cancers can cause great anxiety, if a man
chooses to have no treatment for them. If a man
opts for treatment, he may suffer the possible
side-effects of treatment (such as loss of sexual
function, or leakage of urine) in order to treat
a cancer that would never have grown and spread.
At the same time, detecting cancers that are
destined to spread at an early stage can be life-saving.
Doctors are working hard on techniques that will
distinguish those prostate cancers that are destined
to spread, and those that are not. You should
definitely discuss with your doctor the pros
and cons of having this test done before you
proceed.
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How
do I prepare for the test?
There is no special preparation for this test,
but to avoid having an artificially high test
level you should not have sexual intercourse
for a day before your test. Tell your doctor
if you are taking any medicines, especially medicines
for the prostate, since these may affect the
way the doctor interprets the results of your
test.
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What
happens when the test is performed?
A sample of your blood will be drawn from a
vein. The level of prostate-specific antigen
in your blood will be measured in the laboratory.
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What
risks are there from the test?
There are no risks from this test. As mentioned,
however, this test can leave you with some difficult
choices if it is abnormal.
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Must
I do anything special after the test is over?
You can return to normal activities.
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How
long is it before the result of the test is
known?
Results from this test take several days to
come back. Your doctor will have to decide whether
the test level is normal for you by taking your
age and other factors into consideration.
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