PSA Testing—Why You Should Test
Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer in men and the leading cause of cancer death in men ages 50 and older in the United States. At LabOne, we use an FDA-approved immunoassay to determine the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the serum. The normal range for healthy men is 0-4 nanograms per milliliter. Levels greater than 4.0 ng/mL may indicate the presence of prostate cancer.

Facts

• 70% of all men in the United States age 50 or older have had a PSA test and know their results.
• The survival rate when cancer is diagnosed while confined to the prostate gland is nearly 100%. Chance of survival is reduced to 30.9% when detected after the cancer has metastasized.
• The American Cancer Society estimates that 184,500 men will be diag- nosed with prostate cancer and 39,200 men will die from it in the United States this year.
• The majority of cancers detected by an elevated PSA result are aggressive cancers. PSA does not detect latent or indolent, slow-growing cancers.

Recommended Testing Guidelines
The American Cancer Society recommends annual PSA testing for males ages 50 and older and younger men with a strong familial disposition to prostate cancer.

In situations where the PSA test is mildly elevated, in the 4-10 ng/mL range, getting a measurement of the percent Free PSA (the proportion of the total PSA that is not bound to proteins) can help to distinguish prostate cancer risk from other benign causes of elevated PSA results.