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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffThe PSA test is used primarily to screen for prostate cancer. A PSA test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. PSA is a protein produced in the prostate, a small gland that sits below a man's bladder. PSA is mostly found in semen, which also is produced in the prostate. Small amounts of PSA ordinarily circulate in the blood.
The PSA test can detect high levels of PSA that may indicate the presence of prostate cancer. However, many other conditions, such as an enlarged or inflamed prostate, can also increase PSA levels.
Use of the PSA test is controversial. It's important to discuss with your doctor whether you should get a PSA test and what the results may mean.
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/PSA. Accessed April 5, 2011.
- Prostate cancer: Early detection. American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ProstateCancer/MoreInformation/ProstateCancerEarlyDetection/prostate-cancer-early-detection-pdf. Accessed April 5, 2011.
- Prostate cancer screening. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/prostate/basic_info/screening.htm. Accessed April 5, 2011.
- Gjertson CK, et al. Use and assessment of PSA in prostate cancer. Medical Clinics of North America. 2011;95:191.
- Screening for prostate cancer: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. Rockville, Md.: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. http://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/draftrec3.htm#recd. Accessed Oct. 11, 2011.
- Prostate cancer overview. How many men get prostate cancer? American Cancer Society. http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ProstateCancer/OverviewGuide/prostate-cancer-overview-key-statistics. Accessed April 5, 2011.
- What You Need to Know About Prostate Cancer. Rockville, Md.: National Cancer Institute; 2008. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/wyntk/prostate/page1. Accessed April 8, 2011.
- Guideline synthesis: Screening for prostate cancer. National Guideline Clearinghouse. http://www.guideline.gov/syntheses/printView.aspx?id=16398. Accessed April 5, 2011.
- Shteynshlyuger A, et al. Prostate cancer: To screen or not to screen? Urologic Clinics of North America. 2010;37:1.
- Greene KL, et al. Prostate specific antigen best practice statement: 2009 update. The Journal of Urology. 2009;182:2232.
- AUA Foundation responds to American Cancer Society guideline for the early detection of prostate cancer. AUA Foundation. http://www.auanet.org/content/press/press_releases/article.cfm?articleNo=179. Accessed April 5, 2011.
- Wolf AMD, et al. American Cancer Society guideline for the early detection of prostate cancer. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2010;60:70.
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