Early warning signs of prostate cancer can be detected before symptoms develop with a simple blood test called the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test
What is the PSA test?
This simple blood test measures the level of a protein called prostate specific antigen or PSA that is made by the prostate gland. To perform the test, a small amount of blood is drawn from your arm and tested to determine the amount of PSA it contains.
What is a prostate exam?
A prostate exam, called a digital rectal exam or DRE, can be done by your doctor in the office. It involves the doctor inserting a gloved finger into the rectum to feel any lumps or abnormal texture that may indicate a possible cancer.
Who should get prostate cancer screening?
Anyone who was assigned male at birth and still has their prostate gland can get prostate cancer. You should discuss with your physician whether prostate cancer screening is right for you.
Be sure to tell your doctor about any risk factors you may have such as:
- Black or African American ancestry
- Family history of prostate cancer, especially among your parents and siblings
- A personal history of certain cancers, such as pancreas, colon or male breast cancer
- Any known inherited genetic changes, such as mutations in one of these genes: BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, HOXB13, MLH1, MSH2 or MSH6
- Exposure to Agent Orange
Screening can find aggressive prostate cancer early, before it can spread. But screening also finds many prostate cancers that are not aggressive and grow slowly. These may not need treatment right away or ever.
If you decide to pursue prostate cancer screening, the age you should start screening will depend on whether you have any of the risk factors. Your first PSA test can serve as a baseline to compare with future testing.
- No risk factors? Men with no risk factors should start screening at age 45.
- One or more risk factors? Talk to your doctor about screening by age 40 or 10 years younger than the youngest prostate cancer case in your family (for example, if your father or brother received a prostate cancer diagnosis at age 45 you should begin screening by age 35).
- Over age 75. You may discontinue PSA testing unless you are very healthy with a life expectancy of 10 years or more. This should be discussed with your doctor.
You should discuss the pros and cons of having a PSA test with your doctor. If you do receive a PSA test, your doctor will need to put the results in perspective with your age, how long you can be expected to live, your family medical history, your race, and the results of any previous PSA tests.
Don’t avoid your prostate cancer screenings. Get them at the recommended age to get a baseline reading and then keep up to date with them. Even if you’re hesitant about the screenings, go anyway!
Russell already had prostate cancer screenings with normal results for years during annual physicals with his family doctor. This time, his PSA level was found to be increasing quickly. Russell had a cancerous prostate tumor. A simple 10-minute screening saved his life.
How often do I need a PSA test?
Your doctor will discuss how frequently you should have PSA testing, based on your baseline or previous PSA level, your age, and your risk factors.
What’s next if my PSA is elevated?
Doctors look at the speed at which your PSA rises over time, your age, and your family history rather than a single cut-off number. If your PSA level is elevated, come see us. It doesn’t mean you have cancer, but we can help guide your next steps such as a repeat test, a physical exam, imaging, or a biopsy.
Get prostate screening in your neighborhood
You can get prostate cancer screening closer to home aboard our mobile cancer screening center called EDDY (Early Detection Driven to You). Check out when EDDY may be coming to your neighborhood.
Additional questions
Not necessarily. Your PSA level may be high due to other conditions, too, such as an infection, inflammation, or an enlarged prostate, a condition called benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) or benign prostatic enlargement (BPE). These are NOT cancer. However, if your PSA level is high, your doctor will perform further testing to know for sure.
Having family members who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer increases your risk. For example, having a first-degree relative (father, brother or son) with the disease will double your risk. This means you should talk with your doctor about beginning prostate cancer screening at age 40, or even earlier.