What the PSA test tells you about prostate cancer

Discover what the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test can and can't tell you about your prostate cancer risk.

The prostate-specific antigen test, or PSA, detects an unusually high level of a certain protein in your blood. The test is meant to aid in the diagnosis of cancer in the prostate gland, but it's not a clear-cut predictor by any means.

Put simply, a positive PSA test indicates that you might need further testing. The Mayo Clinic  states that only about 1 in 4 men with a positive PSA reading will actually be diagnosed with prostate cancer, so it's important to stay calm if you receive positive results. By itself, the PSA won't tell you very much.

Undergo PSA testing only if your physician specifically recommends it. Sometimes, a direct rectal examination uncovers something that your doctor wants to examine further, and in that case, he might ask for the PSA to confirm his findings.

Almost everyone. The PSA isn't very precise. Twenty per cent of men will receive a false-positive diagnosis when, in fact, they have no cancer. According to a guideline recently published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal , around half of those who have received the test have been over-diagnosed, resulting in unnecessary invasive treatments that can cause serious complications.

Prostate cancer is not uncommon and can cause death if the tumour is unusually fast-growing, but 95 per cent of men diagnosed with prostate cancer will survive at least 10 years because of the very slow growth of this type of cancer. And the cure, which involves removal of the prostate gland, is often worse than the cancer itself.

If you're over 50, talk with your physician and get the facts. There are other ways to detect prostate cancer that are much more useful. Even if you find that you have cancer, the diagnosis doesn't need to affect the quality of the rest of your life.

The most important thing is to resist the understandable fear that the idea of prostate cancer can bring. If you see your doctor regularly and follow his or her good advice, then there's no reason to worry about it. Knowing what the PSA test can and can't tell you about your prostate cancer risk is another to not let fear overcome you.