The prostate is a small organ just below the bladder and the urethra. It is linked to certain diseases such as prostatitis and prostate cancer. Diagnosis is confirmed based on the PSA test results of blood exams or prostate-specific antigen or PSAtests.
The prostate gland produces proteins and these levels are measured during blood tests. Higher values of PSA test results point to the presence of a disease, although this is not a foolproof indicator. There are also people with low or normal values yet suffer from diseases later on. Your PSA test results, however, will give immediate signals whether you have a medical condition or not.
Interpreting PSA test results vary from country to country, but there are standards to detect the presence of prostate disorders. Specifically, these values are classified as ranges where the percentage of a risk indicating a disease is highly likely. At a glance, the values below taken from the John Hopkins Prostate Bulletin give an indication of the PSA test results:
4 ng/mL or under – normal
4 to 10 ng/mL – 20 to 30% risk
10 to 20 ng/mL – 50 to 75% risk
greater than 20 ng/mL – 90% risk
Therefore, getting examined as early as possible is vital with researchers at the John Hopkins University recommending that males between the ages of 35 to 40 should be tested. In this aspect, PSA is perceived as a specific marker or benchmark for detecting diseases early. In most cases, painful symptoms must be brought to the attention of a medical professional immediately for proper diagnosis.
For instance, those suffering from prostatitis might experience a burning sensation while urinating, pain in the groin, back, abdomen, scrotum, and rectum. There might be discomfort while ejaculating or experiencing an orgasm. In other cases, the signs are asymptomatic and the person may not feel anything at all.
On the other hand, prostate cancer, is often not symptomatic. Doctors accidentally stumble on the condition while doing a routine check-up. In other instances, the signs are nearly the same as prostatitis and could be mistaken as such.If you are a candidate for cancer or a prostate disease, the next step recommended by a physician is to undergo a rectal examination and a biopsy. Only then can a diagnosis be confirmed and the right intervention proposed.
However, there are also cases in men where the PSA blood test results are normal. This does not exclude the presence of cancer or prostatitis. Others may have low values that increase in significant increments each year. Again, early PSA testing is advised for a timely medical intervention. In the case of PSA increases, patients should be tested at regular intervals or every 6 months to detect any abnormality.
Because PSA testing is linked to detecting prostate diseases than prostate cancer, it is not sensitive to identifying cancer of the prostate. Requiring men to do PSA testing as early as possible makes it easier to intervene medically when the cancer is still at a benign stage. To conclude, PSA testing and PSA test results is regarded as a valuable tool to confirm the presence of disorders or abnormalities in the prostate.
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