Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA )
What is prostate specific antigen?
The first thing to clarify is that having a high PSA does not mean a
biopsy is necessary
as we will see later on.
A prostate specific antigen or PSA is a protein that is produced in the
prostate.
Determining its concentration in the blood is an indication of diseases in
the male
genitourinary organs.
A large number of diseases in these organs raise the PSA concentration in
the blood
and cancer of the prostate is only one of these.
The PSA rises with prostatic hypertrophy, urinary and prostatic infections,
sexual
activity, rectal stimulation such as in transrectal ultrasounds, significant
intestinal
constipation or diarrhea, large hemorrhoids, a rectal examination,
varicocele, orchitis,
etc. As a result, it is not useful on its own in diagnosing prostate cancer
or any other
prostatic complaint. A high PSA should not be considered to be an indicator
of cancer
of the prostate much less an indication that a biopsy should be done on the
prostate.
What does a PSA (prostatic specific antigen) exam consist of?
It is the measurement of the PSA concentration in the blood. This test
requires a
specific type of preparation and care.
Preparation
The preparation is simple but should be strictly followed. If not, the
results will change.
No food starting 12 hours prior the test
Sexual abstinence for a week before the sample is taken since sexual
activity raises the
PSA.
As of a week prior to the PSA avoid any rectal digital examination and/or
transrectal
ultrasound since both of them raise the PSA.
Avoid excessive constipation or diarrhea for a week prior to the exam since
they cause
the PSA to rise >
Some medications that are used to treat the prostate typically reduce the
concentration
of PSA in the blood. Therefore, it is advisable to stop taking them starting
one or two
weeks before the exam.
Precision in the diagnosis of prostate cancer
An elevated PSA does not necessarily mean cancer since the PSA rises for
many
reasons other than cancer.
Since the facts listed above have often been ignored, many patients have
been
unnecessarily subjected to a biopsy (The National Association of Prostate
Cancer
Support Groups).
Furthermore, cancer of the prostate has been detected in men with a PSA
concentration that is lower than 2.0 ng/ml. These cases account for at least
21% of the
total diagnoses of prostate cancer. These data raise doubts about the use of
an
arbitrary PSA threshold to select the patients that will be subjected to a
biopsy.
We have been advising people not to have biopsies since 2004 even when they
have
high PSA levels.
Maximum values of PSA that are considered normal
The tables have varied considerably as new factors that raise or reduce
the PSA are
discovered. As mentioned above, it is also common to discover cancer in men
whose
PSA is below 2.0 ng/ml. Nor is it rare to find patients with no evidence of
cancer of the
prostate but with PSA levels that are above 70 ng/ml. In general, if the
level is above 4
ng/ml there is a greater possibility of finding one or more following
diseases such as the
ones listed below:
- Prostate hypertrophy
- Nephritis
- Urethritis
- Cystitis
- Prostatitis
- Seminal vesiculitis
- An earlier prostate biopsy
- Prostate cancer
- Orchitis
- Varicocele
- Extensive hydrocele
- Epididymitis
- Renal lithiasis
- Any surgery in the groin area such as hernia surgery, vasectomy,
etc.
- Mammary carcinoma
- Other changes
Who should have a PSA done
Every man who is over the age of 35 or who has genitourinary symptoms
What is a PSADI
The PSADI (Prostate Specific Antigen Density Index) is the relative
prostatic
concentration of the PSA –see C.M.P.– and it is still used as an indicator
of the
possibility of prostate cancer although its usefulness is limited in the
absence of other
data. The C.M.P., which includes the PSADI, is the best exam for detecting
what is
elevating the PSA at present.
Assessment of the treatment for prostate cancer
Since one of the things that causes prostate antigen to rise is cancer
(there are many
more), measuring this is basically oriented towards the growth/remission of
cancer. If
its concentration in the blood rises, it is assumed that cancer is growing.
If it declines, it
is assumed that the cancer is responding to the treatment. Naturally, the
person should
follow the instructions given above for the test since otherwise, the
results will be
erroneous.
The PSADI velocity is a much more precise test. This is the velocity at
which the
PSADI rises or falls over the course of time. The PSADI is part of the C.M.P.
–
Prostate.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended eliminating the
PSA test as a way of detecting prostate cancer in October 2011. This was due
to the
fact that they found scientific evidence indicating that the benefits of
reducing deaths
from cancer are surpassed by the potential side effects derived from
treating a cancer
that would have never caused any damage.
This does not mean that the PSA is useless. On the contrary, it is very
useful as a first
test that is sensitive but non-specific for determining the presence of
diseases of the
masculine urinary ducts in the early stages, and cancer is one of them.
The fact that the PSA seems to be elevated does NOT MEAN THAT THERE IS
CANCER. It only means that there are problemas that require treatment and
that one
of these problems could be cancer, which may or may not need treatment.
Furthermore, the PSA test is simple, inexpensive, and only requires a blood
sample. It
is sensible to have it done periodically or whenever the doctor advises it
to be done.
Summary
The PSA rises as a result of genitourinary diseases. Its elevation does
not indicate
cancer, let alone a need for a biopsy. It only indicates the presence of
genitourinary
diseases.
The C.M.P. - Prostate detects all of the known causes of an elevated
prostate antigen
(PSA). Treating said causes reduces the PSA. Thus, if the PSA has dropped
after the
treatment, there is no need for concern.