"What are the numbers?" Words to live by when it comes to a PSA results.
PSA - it's not an acronym for an airline or for "Public Service Announcement". It stands for Prostate Specific Antigen. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate that can be detected and given a numeric value through a simple a blood test. With the results of this test, your doctor can calculate your prostate cancer risk.
Because it‘s helpful to have a baseline number to which your doctor can compare future test results, Prostate Cancer Canada advises all men over the age of 40 to establish a baseline PSA value, and men over 50 consider annual or semi-annual PSA testing. Sooner is better because if detected and treated in its earliest stages, prostate cancer is over 90% curable.
There's lots of information out there about the pros and cons of the PSA test - however, men deserve the right to make their own informed decisions regarding the state of their health – even if that decision is to forego or delay treatment. Informed decisions are impossible, however, without regular PSA blood tests and digital rectal examinations (DRE) to assess the likelihood of cancer.
Prostate cancer is the number one cancer threat to Canadian men. It affects one in six in their lifetime. Since early detection is critical, knowing your number is important.