What Do High PSA Levels Mean?

Elevated levels of protein-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood is often an indicator of prostate cancer. However, it can also point to some other possible health issues. We discuss what a PSA test is, and what it can tell us about your health, here.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, second only to skin cancer. In fact, studies estimate that 1 in 8 men will develop prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Thankfully, mortality rates for this cancer have gone down significantly over the years, due to early screenings and effective treatments.

A commonly used screening procedure for prostate cancer is called the PSA test. A PSA test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood, with high levels possibly indicating prostate cancer.

At HealthStone Primary Care Partners in Hollywood, Florida, our team offers PSA tests as part of our comprehensive men’s health care. This month’s blog explores what a PSA test and what your test results might mean.

What is PSA?

Your prostate is a gland that sits just underneath your bladder. Its main job is to produce semen, which transports and nourishes sperm whenever you ejaculate.

The cells in your prostate make a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA). While PSA is mostly found in semen, a small portion of the protein also circulates in your blood. When you have prostate cancer, your body produces more PSA and raises your levels of the protein, which is reflected in a routine blood test.

However, many other things can also cause elevated PSA levels, such as an enlarged or inflamed prostate.

Do elevated PSA levels guarantee a prostate cancer diagnosis?

While having prostate cancer does raise your PSA levels, having elevated levels doesn’t automatically mean you have cancer. The PSA test is merely a tool that we use to screen for early signs of cancer, since prostate cancer often doesn’t present with symptoms until it’s very advanced.

If your PSA test has a result of 4.0 nanograms per milliliter of blood, we might recommend further testing. We’ll also take other factors into consideration such as your general health, your personal health history, and your family health history before moving forward with other tests.

What high PSA levels could mean

Before moving forward with further cancer testing, we’ll want to rule out other possibilities for elevated PSA levels. Common causes of higher PSA levels include:

Having an enlarged prostate
Having prostate inflammation
Having a urinary tract infection (UTI)
Ejaculating or exercising vigorously 48 hours before your test

Taking aspirin or medications for high cholesterol can actually lower your PSA, so make sure our team is up to date on all your current medications to help with correct test result interpretation.

If we do rule out other possible causes for high levels of PSA, we can talk about other necessary testing for prostate cancer. Other common tests that we can use to detect cancer include a rectal exam, an imaging test such as an MRI, or a prostate biopsy.

Schedule your next wellness visit today

If you’re overdue for a wellness visit, don’t push off scheduling one any longer. At HealthStone Primary Care Partners, our annual physicals include PSA tests in order to catch prostate cancer in its earliest stages. The earlier prostate cancer is caught, the better the prognosis.

To schedule an appointment, simply call our office or book online today.