What Is Prostate-Specific Antigen?

In medical terms, prostate specific antigen (PSA) is synthesized and secreted by prostate epithelial cells into semen, and is one of the main components of seminal plasma.

Prostate specific antigen

In medical terms, prostate specific antigen (PSA) is synthesized and secreted by prostate epithelial cells into semen, and is one of the main components of seminal plasma.

Western Medicine Name

Prostate specific antigen

English name

Prostate Specific Antigen, PSA

Affiliated Department

Surgery-urology

Multiple groups

Men aged 55 to 69

Contagious

Non-contagious

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The Canadian Preventive Medical Care Task Force published a research report in the Journal of the Canadian Medical Association on November 11, 2014, stating that the specific antigen test (PSA) used to screen for prostate cancer does more harm than good, and often produces inaccurate positive reactions. This leads to patients receiving unnecessary treatment and adverse reactions, which should be abandoned.

Prostate antigen is a protein produced by the prostate. Increased prostate-specific antigen in the blood may be a sign of cancer, but it may also be caused by aging, hypertrophy or inflammation of the prostate.

The report says that the main problems with prostate-specific antigen testing are false positive results and overdiagnosis. Once the diagnosis is positive, patients usually undergo more tests, such as biopsy, which can lead to other risks such as bleeding, infection, and urinary incontinence.

Most prostate cancer patients have slow tumor growth, and patients are more likely to die of other conditions before the symptoms of prostate tumors appear. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in men. Most patients with prostate cancer have a good prognosis, with a 10-year survival rate of 95%.

The Canadian Preventive Health Care Task Force said that the available evidence does not conclusively prove that prostate-specific antigen testing has the effect of reducing mortality, but the data clearly show that the test is more risky for patients. The task force therefore recommends that prostate-specific antigens should not be used for screening for prostate cancer.

Evidence shows that almost one in five men between the ages of 55 and 69 had at least one false-positive report of a prostate-specific antigen, and about 17% received unnecessary biopsies.

The task force recommends that men under 55 and over 70 do not use prostate-specific antigens for cancer screening. Men who are at high risk for prostate cancer between the ages of 55 and 69 are not recommended for PSA screening, or they should discuss their pros and cons with their doctors carefully before proceeding.

However, Dr Neil Fleishner of the Princess Margaret Cancer Center in Toronto questioned the suggestion. He believes that through prostate-specific antigen testing, doctors can detect deadly cancer as soon as possible and save patients' lives in time. The proposal will lead to more deaths from prostate cancer. ^[2]