Prostate gland Enlarge image The PSA test is a blood test used primarily to screen for prostate cancer. The test measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood. PSA is a protein produced by both cancerous and noncancerous tissue in the prostate, a small gland that sits below the bladder in males.
For men in their 40s and 50s: A PSA score greater than 2.5 ng/ml is considered abnormal. The median PSA for this age range is 0.6 to 0.7 ng/ml. For men in their 60s: A PSA score greater than 4.0 ng/ml is considered abnormal.For men with test results showing levels above 4.0 ng/mL, doctors would recommend a prostate biopsy. But in more recent years, studies have demonstrated that some men with PSA levels lower than 4.0 ng/mL can have prostate cancer, and many men with PSA levels higher than 4.0 ng/mL don’t have prostate cancer. If your PSA results are in the borderline range (4 to 10), the % free PSA can be useful in helping distinguish between prostate cancer or benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The pattern is the