Wednesday, March 28, 2012

PSA Tests For Prostate Cancer

By Janette C. Maxfield


Prostate cancer can be a silent disease that grows with not having any symptoms inside the early stages and hence often goes undetected until the cancer has turn out to be too advanced. This really is where PSA becomes helpful as it can detect early signs of prostate cancer as well as other prostate disorders even when you will find no outwardly signs inside the wellness condition.

Understanding PSA

PSA may be the abbreviated form of prostate specific antigen, which requires a blood test for the detection of the antigen count inside the blood. According to study, the count of the antigen rises in men suffering from prostate cancer. The rise in the antigen count is noticeable even in the initial stages of the illness. PSA is therefore regarded as a critical test and is recommended for males as a main medical investigation for early detection of prostate cancer beyond a specific age.

In layman terminology, PSA is regarded as a marker protein that's indicative to getting generated inside the prostate gland. Within the normal human body (male) just a little quantity of the PSA protein gets released into the blood stream, hence, it can be regular for a little count of PSA to show up in a routine blood test. On the other hand, when a blood sample shows an elevated PSA count, it might be indicative of prostate related issues, which might be linked to prostate cancer.

Studies also reveal that the PSA count in older men is frequently higher than in younger men. The high PSA count may be attributed to an enlarged prostate and may possibly not necessarily be because of the dreaded cancer.

Is PSA Result Foolproof?

You'll find some controversies concerning the advantages of the PSA test for prostate cancer as there have been instances where the blood tests have revealed low counts of PSA in patients affected with the illness. There is nonetheless debate within the medical field if the PSA test is often deemed at face value as some tests have also confirmed the results of PSA to be false-negative in some patients.

Most physicians don't rely on the PSA results alone and carry out further investigations on patients who show other symptoms of the illness. As a precautionary measure, the screening for prostate cancer these days also consists of a rectal examination as it truly is deemed to be a lot more accurate in detecting the disease.

Synopsis

PSA is usually not advised as a screening for men who don't show any indication of having prostate cancer. The PSA test is on the other hand carried out as component of preliminary investigation if the patient is above 50 years of age and shows symptoms akin to those of prostate cancer. These symptoms could contain getting trouble urinating, discomfort, and itching inside the urethra, blood in urine, and inconsistency. Further tests are mandatory if the PSA count is higher than regular levels. Treatment began only when the illness has been medically established.

In case the PSA count is inside typical limits as well as the symptoms of prostate cancer still persist, doctors generally follows it up with further investigation to rule out prostate cancer.




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