A prostate marker used for prostate cancer screening and monitoring.
Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, is a protein made by the prostate gland. Total PSA measures all the PSA in your blood, both the part that floats freely and the part bound to other proteins.
Small amounts of PSA leak into the bloodstream normally. The level tends to rise with age and with the size of the prostate, and it can go up for many reasons that have nothing to do with cancer.
Total PSA is used to follow prostate health over time. A raised level can come from prostate cancer, but far more often it reflects benign causes such as an enlarged prostate (BPH), inflammation, a recent infection, or even a bike ride or sex in the days before the test.
PSA is not a standalone cancer test for the general population. A single value means little on its own. Your doctor reads it alongside your age, the trend over time, a physical exam, and sometimes the free-to-total ratio before deciding whether anything further is needed.
Aniva reads your result against research-backed ranges, not just the lab's wide normal. The reference shown below is specific to this biomarker.
Ranges are guidance only and rise with age. Always interpret against your own lab's range and your doctor's advice.
| Age group | Common upper guide (SI) |
|---|---|
| 40 to 49 years | up to about 2.5 µg/L |
| 50 to 59 years | up to about 3.5 µg/L |
| 60 to 69 years | up to about 4.5 µg/L |
| 70 years and older | up to about 6.5 µg/L |
A widely used general cutoff is under 4.0 µg/L. Aligned to German laboratory practice (DGKL).
Recent ejaculation, cycling, a prostate exam, catheter use, or urinary infection can raise PSA. Drugs such as finasteride and dutasteride roughly halve the level. PSA falls after some prostate treatments. Results from different assays are not always interchangeable.
Usually read together with free PSA and the free/total PSA ratio, and alongside a clinical exam.
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