Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) Testing
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA)
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein that is produced by normal cells in the prostate and it is also produced by prostate cancer cells.
What is prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing?
PSA testing is a blood test that is used to measure the total amount of PSA in your blood.
A high PSA level in your blood can indicate that you have prostate cancer. However, some men who have a normal PSA level can also have prostate cancer.
What to expect: Your IPSA PSA consultation
During your full-length PSA testing consultation in our confidential, clean, and calm IPSA clinic, your IPSA practitioner will treat you holistically, and prior to you having the PSA test, he will discuss your prostate symptoms fully with you, explain the pros and cons of the PSA testing procedure with you, and examine your prostate. These all help to ascertain if you are at high risk of prostate cancer. At your IPSA clinic, we take your privacy seriously and we work with you at all times, explaining clearly all of your results and our findings with you, and giving you the future guidance you need depending on the outcome of your PSA testing consultation. Your IPSA physician can offer you treatment to help with symptoms (such as urinary flow, urgency and frequency symptoms), and you will be seen at once for your consultation and at a time that fits with your busy schedule.
What can affect my PSA level?
- Age
- A urine infection
What can cause an enlarged prostate?
- Prostatitis
- Extreme exercise
- Ejaculation
- A biopsy
- Prostate cancer
If you have had a prostate biopsy, a catheter inserted, or an operation on your prostate or on your bladder in the six weeks before your PSA blood test, then it might affect the result.
What do the results mean?
The PSA test alone cannot be used to diagnose prostate cancer because your PSA level naturally increases as you get older and as the prostate gland gets bigger. Although a high PSA level for your age may be a marker for prostate cancer, this can be due to other factors.
Men’s health: What are the advantages of the PSA test?
- The PSA test may help to pick up a more aggressive form of cancer at an earlier stage when the treatment can often prevent the cancer from becoming more advanced.
- Although regular PSA tests could be helpful for those men who are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer, we still require more evidence about the best way of going about this.
To book your full-length PSA testing consultation today with IPSA, simply call or book online for a same-day service.
