An elderly friend found that his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) had risen to 9ng/ml during a physical examination. He was very worried and asked Huazi if the PSA was elevated, does it mean that he had prostate cancer ?
Huazi told him, don’t be nervous, the increase in PSA concentration indicates that a male prostate has undergone pathological changes or damage, but does not necessarily mean cancer . There are many other factors that can also cause the increase of PSA, and it is necessary to further confirm the diagnosis through imaging, diagnostic tests and puncture biopsy .
1. What does PSA increase represent?
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a single-chain glycoprotein produced by prostate epithelial cells. It is mainly found in semen, and its function is to participate in the liquefaction process of semen.
Under normal circumstances, prostate cells are tightly arranged, and PSA is difficult to pass through prostate tissue into the blood, and can only be secreted into the semen. However, when undergoes pathological changes or damage to the prostate tissue, the cell arrangement structure will be destroyed, which will cause PSA to enter the blood .
When the current state becomes cancerous, it will cause severe damage to cell structure , causing a significant increase in the concentration of PSA in the blood. Therefore, PSA is often used as an early warning marker for prostate cancer .
2. Judging from the PSA value, the risk is
PSA's normal value is below 4ng/ml . When it is greater than 10ng/ml, it is believed that the risk of prostate cancer is higher. Further examinations such as imaging and puncture are recommended to eliminate the risk.
In the blood, about 10% to 20% of PSA in exist in free form, called FPSA, and the rest of PSA exist in binding form.
If the PSA is greater than 4ng/ml and less than 10ng/ml, the FPSA value needs to be compared with the total PSA . If the ratio of the two is greater than 0.25, it is safer. If the ratio of the two is less than 0.16, the possibility of cancer will be higher.
3. Other factors affecting PSA
Although PSA is an early warning marker for prostate cancer, prostate cancer is not the only factor causing PSA to rise. common factors that cause PSA elevation are prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia .
As men get older, the prostate will continue to proliferate under the stimulation of androgens, so middle-aged and elderly men have more or less problems with prostate hyperplasia, and the larger the prostate volume of , the higher the PSA, the .
Factors such as long-term urine retention, couples having sex within 48 hours, or having catheterization, cystoscopy, rectal marking, etc. may also cause increased permeability of prostate cells and cause high PSA.
4. What kind of PSA should be vigilant for
If the PSA is greater than 10ng/ml, it is recommended to perform MRI imaging examination. If the imaging is highly suspected of tumors, it is necessary to perform puncture to remove the specimen for pathological examination. This is also the "gold standard" for diagnosing prostate cancer .
If the PSA is greater than 4ng/ml but less than 10ng/ml, it is recommended to conduct a review of more than 1 month apart. If the standard is still exceeded, it is recommended to perform a follow-up examination at fixed intervals under the guidance of a doctor. If the PSA progressively increases, imaging and puncture examinations are required.
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, don’t panic, because most prostate cancers progress slowly. As long as you discover it in time and actively treat it, the long-term prognosis is still good.
Summary, prostate conductivity antigen (PSA) is an early warning marker for early stage prostate cancer, but cancer is not the only factor that causes PSA to rise. The more common factors are prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and other factors may also cause PSA to rise.
The prostate of middle-aged and elderly men will have more or less problems, so male friends should not be nervous when they encounter elevated PSA. You can ask the doctor for further examination. I am Huazi, pharmacist. Welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.
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