PSA test or Prostate-Specific Antigen test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen in the blood. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a substance released into a man's blood by his prostate gland. Low amounts of PSA may be found in the blood of healthy men. The amount of PSA in the blood normally increases slowly over time as a man's prostate enlarges with age. This can lead to a common non-cancerous medical condition known as Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). However, a PSA value that increases suddenly over a short period of time may indicate inflammation of the prostate gland (prostatitis) or prostate cancer. Therefore, it is important to conduct a PSA test so that you know your PSA value which can help you watch out for sudden increases, as well as help identify existing problems. It is important to know your baseline PSA value.
Prostate cancer often grows very slowly, without causing major problems. Detecting prostate cancer early and treating it may prevent some cancer-related health problems and reduce the risk of dying from the cancer.
In men who have total PSA values between 4.0 and 10.0, it is important to differentiate between free and total PSA (this is a different LabSafe test, and it can be found at http://www.lab-safe.com/lab-tests/test/479/). A percent free PSA may be used to determine the relative risk of prostate cancer, and should be performed if your initial PSA value is greater than 4.0.
To check your initial PSA value, simply order this Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) test online or call LabSafe toll free at 1-888-333-LABS.
