Prostate-specific antigen and men's health

Prostate-specific antigen or PSA is a modern marker of prostate cancer that allows the tumor to be detected at the earliest stages, when complete cure without any consequences is possible. PSA was first detected by Naga in 1979 in seminal fluid, and since 1987 PSA testing has been widely used to diagnose and stage prostate cancer. It is also used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of treatment.

PSA is a chemical substance produced by the prostate epithelium to liquefy semen. Some of this substance passes into the blood. The normal amount of PSA in the blood is no more than 4 ng/ml. An increase in PSA concentration in the blood is observed when the prostate tissue is damaged and its permeability increases. For example, elevated PSA levels are seen in benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate adenoma), prostate inflammation (prostatitis), traumatic injuries and prostate cancer. In order to find out the cause of an elevated PSA level, special methods of PSA detection are used. If the PSA level rises above 4 ng/ml, a thorough examination of the patient is necessary to diagnose prostate cancer at the earliest stage of its development, as the vast majority of cancer cases fall into the so-called "grey zone", when the PSA value is between 4 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml. In serum, PSA is found in two forms: bound to certain proteins and unbound to them, i.e. free PSA. When we talk about PSA diagnosis, we mean the determination of both forms of PSA. Thus, in prostate cancer, bound PSA increases and free PSA decreases. In some cancers, however, PSA levels may remain unchanged because the cells in the cancerous tumor have lost the ability to secrete this substance. In prostate adenoma, the serum level of free PSA is much higher than in prostate cancer. It is on this feature of PSA that the principle of differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia is based.

If the PSA level is high, a prostate biopsy is mandatory. As a rule, prostate tissue biopsy is performed transrectally (through the rectum) under ultrasound control using special needles.

To date, there is a programme of early diagnosis of prostate cancer worldwide, including Kazakhstan, which includes:

• prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level determination, which you can undergo at any branch of the OLYMP СDL branches of medical laboratories.

• finger rectal examination of the prostate gland performed by a urologist;

• transrectal ultrasound examination of the prostate (ultrasound).

We remind you that according to WHO recommendations, all men over 50 years of age should be tested for PSA at least once a year. If you have a history of prostate cancer among your close relatives, you should start screening at the age of 40.

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PSA prostate cancer screening for cancer