I myself have 0.8 psa value, but a colleague panics because he has 3.4. After a discussion with several colleagues, we do not know how to interpret these values. Under 5 you don’t have to do anything. Others say this is too high and you should consult a doctor. Prostate cancer is the hype of today and therefore please give some clarity to these values ​​in human language.
Answer
PSA stands for prostate specific antigen. This is a substance secreted by the prostate in small amounts. This increases in benign and even more so in malignant prostate tumors.
The problem, however, is the limit value (and this applies to all studies): how high should it be set?
Prostate cancer does occur in a few people with a PSA lower than 5. These are the so-called false negative results. Conversely, people with a PSA higher than 5 do not have prostate cancer. These are the false positives. In practice, this means that a high PSA value says a lot, but not everything.
With a good test, the number of false negatives and false positives is low. However, there are no tests where both values ​​are zero.
In case of doubt, it is advisable to repeat the test (preferably before an internal prostate examination is performed, because that raises the PSA) and, if necessary, to perform a prostate ultrasound. Of course, this should be done in consultation with your doctor.
Answered by
dr. Mistiaen Wilhelm
Prinsstraat 13 2000 Antwerp
http://www.uantwerpen.be
.