my husband has been told he should get tested for prostate cancer. what does this test involve please?
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
i was told he would get a blood test with a psa search but i have no idea what it means
The first test is indeed called PSA = prostatic specific antigen. It is a screen test, generally a prostate examination , just with a rectal exam is done together with this test.
It is a screen test and gives a lot of false positives, as the level is also raised in PBH = benign prostatic hypertrophy. It also occasionally gives false negatives, i.e. it can be normal in patients with prostate cancer, so the result alone needs to be viewed with caution.
The test is currently used for routine screening ( all men over 40 get the test a bit like cervical screening ) in US but not in UK where doctors have concerns about its reliability and indeed are sometimes unsure how to proceed if the test result is a low positive.
Prostate Specific Antigen (Test) Standardization: What You Should Know