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About PSA Levels and What They Mean

Just What Do Different PSA Levels Signify in Prostate Cancer?

Dale Anderson had never heard of PSA levels prior to the day his doctor told him that his PSA level was high. Never given it much thought actually. But all of a sudden, Anderson wanted to learn all about PSA levels and what they mean.

"Prostrate PSA levels refer to the level of Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) in your body," his doctor informed him. "The PSA is bound in the blood proteins and this is called your total PSA."

Normal PSA levels are usually very low, between 0 to.6 or 0.7. When the levels of PSA in prostrate start rising, it indicates there may be a problem.

What causes psa levels to go up?

It's not unusual for PSA levels to start rising as you age.

Also a high PSA can be a warning sign of prostate cancer or prostatitis.

Various infections can also cause elevated PSA levels.

If you are worried about your high PSA levels and what they mean, it's wise to get a second PSA test done to verify the results. Usually this will be a measurement of what's called free PSA.

Okay but after taking the measurement of PSA levels in prostrate, if the levels are on the high side, does that always indicate prostate cancer?

Not necessarily.

You see if you've got an infection, the PSA levels can also be high. In that case you'll want to take some antibiotics to eliminate any infection and get the PSA checked again. If the level remains high, have a biopsy done.

What do different PSA levels signify in prostate cancer?

If the PSA levels have been jumped in a short period of time, that might indicate a fast growing form of prostate cancer.

Given all this our friend Dale Anderson had blood drawn for a second test after completing an antibiotic treatment course. Luckily this seemed to take care of his high PSA level. Hope this gives you a better idea about PSA levels and what they mean.