
it can miss cancer and provide false reassurance. PSA testing may reduce your risk of dying if you do have cancer.
it can find early signs of cancer, meaning you can get treated early.it may reassure you if the test result is normal.
Research has shown around 3 in 4 men with a raised PSA level will not have cancer, and around 1 in 7 men with prostate cancer would have a normal PSA result. If you're aged 50 to 69, raised PSA is 3ng/ml or higher.Ī raised PSA level in your blood may be a sign of prostate cancer, but it can also be a sign of another condition that's not cancer, such as: The amount of PSA in your blood is measured in nanograms of PSA per millilitre of blood (ng/ml).
have a family history of prostate cancer. You have a higher risk of prostate cancer if you: There's currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK because the PSA test is not always accurate.īefore deciding to have the PSA test, you may want to talk to a GP and practice nurse, as well as your partner or a friend or family member. Some of it leaks into your blood, but how much depends on your age and the health of your prostate. PSA is a protein made only by the prostate gland. The test, which can be done at a GP surgery, measures the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. But it's not perfect and will not find all prostate cancers. However, until an effect on mortality has been shown, routine screening cannot be recommended.The PSA test is a blood test to help detect prostate cancer. PSA is a valid screening test for prostate cancer, which compares favorably with mammography for breast cancer. The sensitivity further improved to 100% with a cutoff of 2.5 microg./l. The test had a better sensitivity (93%) and specificity (96%) in men younger than 65 years at the time of the sample drawing compared to those older. The sensitivity had improved to 86% in patients diagnosed in 5 years after the sample drawing. The estimated sensitivity of the test was 44% and specificity 94% at a cutoff of 4.0 microg./l.
A matched case control design with incidence density sampling and nested in the serum sample bank was applied, and PSA was assessed.
During followup from 1968 to 1991, 104 prostate cancers were identified. We investigate the validity of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a screening test for prostate cancer.Ī registry of serum samples drawn from 1968 to 1976 from 21,387 men was linked to the Finnish Cancer Registry.