What If The Psa Is Elevated Then What
Men with an elevated PSA do not necessarily indicate prostate cancer. There are other causes for an elevated PSA that include:
- Enlarged prostate or benign prostatic hyperplasia
Dr. David Samadiis the Director of Mens Health and Urologic Oncology at St. Francis Hospital in Long Island. Hes a renowned and highly successful board certified Urologic Oncologist Expert and Robotic Surgeon in New York City, regarded as one of the leading prostate surgeons in the U.S., with a vast expertise in prostate cancer treatment and Robotic-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy. Dr. Samadi is a medical contributor to NewsMax TV and is also the author of The Ultimate MANual, Dr. Samadis Guide to Mens Health and Wellness, available online both on and Barnes & Noble. Visit Dr. Samadis websites at robotic oncolo gy and prostate cancer 911.
What Makes The Imaware Psa Test Unique
While we use the same total PSA biomarker that other tests use, our at-home imaware⢠PSA test is unique as it can be done in the comfort of your own home. It can also be ordered without a physicianâs note, as imaware⢠has a team of physicians that approve all orders and results for patients. Your PSA test results are delivered to a secure patient portal and are easy to download for your next doctor appointment. Getting a PSA test is easy with imawareâ¢.
Can You Drink Alcohol If Youre Fasting Before A Blood Test
Some blood tests, such as those that assess liver health or triglyceride levels, may require you to not drink any alcohol for a full 24 hours. Trace amounts of alcohol can remain in your bloodstream for several days. If you have any concerns about alcohol consumption, discuss this with your doctor when you schedule your test.
Also ask your doctor if you can smoke cigarettes before the test, or if you should refrain from smoking during your fast.
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What Is It Used For
A PSA test is used to screen for prostate cancer. Screening is a test that looks for a disease, such as cancer, in its early stages, when its most treatable. Leading health organizations, such as the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , disagree on recommendations for using the PSA test for cancer screening. Reasons for disagreement include:
- Most types of prostate cancer grow very slowly. It can take decades before any symptoms show up.
- Treatment of slow-growing prostate cancer is often unnecessary. Many men with the disease live long, healthy lives without ever knowing they had cancer.
- Treatment can cause major side effects, including erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence.
- Fast-growing prostate cancer is less common, but more serious and often life-threatening. Age, family history, and other factors can put you at higher risk. But the PSA test alone cant tell the difference between slow- and fast-growing prostate cancer.
To find out if PSA testing is right for you, talk to your health care provider.
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What Is A Normal Psa Value
A PSA level between 2.5 and 4 ng/mL is considered a normal PSA level for most men, but this depends on many factors, such as the patients age, prostate size and a variety of patient activities . A PSA level greater than 4 ng/mL may be normal for some men. A physician must interpret whether the PSA level is normal for each individual.
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Which Blood Tests Require Fasting
We all have come across some situation in our lives where we are required to undergo blood test either as a part of a normal checkup or if we are unwell. You may notice, that your clinician advice you to visit the laboratory on an empty stomach. Your physician may advise you some hours of fasting before calling you in to draw blood.
Fasting before a test means that you are not supposed to eat or even drink water for about 8-12 hours before your blood test. You are also not allowed to smoke or chew gum.
Why do they ask you to fast? Which are the blood tests require fasting? What happens if I dont fast? and can we take any medications before fasting blood test? These are some questions clinicians always come across. This article will feed your curiosity regarding fasting for blood tests and will give you an insight into which blood tests require fasting and for how long.
What Do The Results Mean
There is no specific normal or abnormal level for PSA in blood. In general, the higher your PSA level, the more likely it is that you have cancer. But it’s possible to have a high PSA without prostate cancer, or a low PSA with prostate cancer.
If you had a PSA test for a prostate cancer screening or because you have prostate symptoms:
- High PSA levels can mean you have prostate cancer or a prostate condition that’s not cancer, such as an infection or an enlarged prostate. If your PSA levels are higher than normal, your provider may talk with you about having more tests to diagnose the cause. These tests may include:
- Another PSA test, more commonly if you don’t have any symptoms. PSA levels can go up and down, so it helpful to see if your PSA levels change over time.
- A digital rectal exam . For this test, your provider inserts a gloved, lubricated finger into your rectum to feel your prostate for lumps or anything unusual.
- A urine test. A sample of your urine is tested for infection.
- A prostate biopsy. A biopsy is minor surgery. A doctor removes samples of tissue from your prostate so it can be studied under a microscope to look for cancer cells. A biopsy is the only way to diagnose cancer. It may be recommended if your provider thinks you may have prostate cancer.
If you have questions about your results, talk with your provider.
Learn more about laboratory tests, reference ranges, and understanding results.
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Inform Your Doctor Of All Drugs/medications/herbal Supplements You Are Using
Some drugs can lower a PSA reading. For example, Proscar and Avodart and Propecia can artificially lower your PSA level.
Other medications that may falsely lower a mans PSA reading include aspirin, statin drugs such as Lipitor or Crestor, NSAIDS, thiazide diuretics, and testosterone or other hormonal treatments.
Herbal supplements that may influence the accuracy of a PSA test include:
- Any other procedure that involves the prostate
What Is A Normal Psa Test Result
There is no specific normal or abnormal level of PSA in the blood, and levels may vary over time in the same man. In the past, most doctors considered PSA levels of 4.0 ng/mL and lower as normal. Therefore, if a man had a PSA level above 4.0 ng/mL, doctors would often recommend a prostate biopsy to determine whether prostate cancer was present.
However, more recent studies have shown that some men with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/mL have prostate cancer and that many men with higher levels do not have prostate cancer . In addition, various factors can cause a mans PSA level to fluctuate. For example, a mans PSA level often rises if he has prostatitis or a urinary tract infection. Prostate biopsies and prostate surgery also increase PSA level. Conversely, some drugsincluding finasteride and dutasteride , which are used to treat BPHlower a mans PSA level. PSA level may also vary somewhat across testing laboratories.
Another complicating factor is that studies to establish the normal range of PSA levels have been conducted primarily in populations of White men. Although expert opinions vary, there is no clear consensus regarding the optimal PSA threshold for recommending a prostate biopsy for men of any racial or ethnic group.
In general, however, the higher a mans PSA level, the more likely it is that he has prostate cancer. Moreover, a continuous rise in a mans PSA level over time may also be a sign of prostate cancer.
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Controversy About The Psa Test
PSA tests are controversial because doctors and experts arent sure if the benefits of early detection outweigh the risks of misdiagnosis. Its also not clear if the screening test actually saves lives.
Because the test is very sensitive and can detect increased PSA numbers at low concentrations, it may detect cancer thats so small it would never become life-threatening. Just the same, most primary care physicians and urologists do choose to order the PSA as a screening test in men over the age of 50.
This is called overdiagnosis. More men may face complications and risks of side effects from the treatment of a small growth than they would if their cancer was left undiagnosed.
Its doubtful those small cancers would ever cause major symptoms and complications because prostate cancer, in most but not all cases, is a very slow-growing cancer.
Theres also no specific level of PSA thats considered normal for all men. In the past, doctors considered a PSA level of 4.0 nanograms per milliliter or lower to be normal, reports the National Cancer Institute.
However, recent research has shown that some men with lower levels of PSA have prostate cancer and many men with higher levels of PSA dont have cancer. Prostatitis, urinary tract infections, certain medications, and other factors can also cause your PSA levels to fluctuate.
All men are at risk of prostate cancer, but a few populations are more likely to develop it. These include:
A Psa Test Is Key To Early Detection
When you get a prostate cancer screening, you increase your chances of catching something early when it’s easy to treat. Prostate cancer grows slowly over time, and most men with the disease don’t know they have it because they don’t have any symptoms.
When it comes to cancer, knowing is better than not knowing, and a PSA test can ensure you receive timely treatment if you need it. Survival rates are high for early-stage prostate cancer, as 95 percent of men who get early treatment are alive at the five-year mark. If you wait to get a PSA test, you increase your risk of allowing prostate cancer to progress. When the disease becomes advanced, the five-year survival rate drops to about 30 percent.
Watch our Facebook Live below to learn more about prostate cancer screenings:
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What Research Has Been Done To Study Prostate Cancer Screening
Several randomized clinical trials of prostate cancer screening have been carried out. One of the largest is the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial, which NCI conducted to determine whether certain screening tests can help reduce the numbers of deaths from several common cancers. In the prostate portion of the trial, the PSA test and DRE were evaluated for their ability to decrease a mans chances of dying from prostate cancer.
The PLCO investigators found that men who underwent annual prostate cancer screening had a higher incidence of prostate cancer than men in the control group but the same rate of deaths from the disease . Overall, the results suggest that many men were treated for prostate cancers that would not have been detected in their lifetime without screening. Consequently, these men were exposed unnecessarily to the potential harms of treatment.
A second large trial, the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer , compared prostate cancer deaths in men randomly assigned to PSA-based screening or no screening. As in the PLCO, men in ERSPC who were screened for prostate cancer had a higher incidence of the disease than control men. In contrast to the PLCO, however, men who were screened had a lower rate of death from prostate cancer .
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What Should I Avoid Before A Psa Test
Can I work out before I take a PSA test?
While physical activity in general might help maintain a normal prostate, avoid heavy exercise directly before your PSA. Avoid exercise for a few days before your PSA test. Even bicycling, riding motorcycles or ATVs, or riding horses have been shown to elevate PSA slightly for a short period of time..
Can I have sex before I take a PSA test?
What about supplements and medications?
The following supplements or medications may have an affect on your PSA levels and should be discussed with your doctor. They may raise or lower your PSA and might not create a reliable test result:
- Chemotherapy drugs
- Carninte, fenugreek, pomegranate, saw palmetto, the herb PC-SPES, lycopene, and phytoestrogens.
Can alcohol or coffee consumption skew results?
Alcohol and caffeinated drinks are not established risk factors for prostate cancer and will not affect PSA levels. However, it is understood that heavy alcohol drinking could cause a small risk of more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. The bottom line here is that alcohol, caffeine and smoking do not cause false-positive elevations of PSA levels.
I have a urinary infection, is that a problem?
âPlease consult your doctor if you have a urinary tract infection or if you are taking antibiotics for a urinary tract infection. Please also consult a physician before taking a PSA test if you have recently suffered a pelvic injury or have had prostate or urinary tract surgery.
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Understanding Psa Test Results
28 August 2020
Medicare data suggests that up to 21% of Australian men aged 4574 choose to have a Prostate Specific Antigen Test each year, and about 19% of men aged over 74 also undergo testing.
While PSA testing helps to identify men with an increased risk of undiagnosed prostate cancer, and can help to diagnose prostate cancers earlier, it can also produce false positive results, and in some men picks up cancers that are so slow growing that they do not affect a mans life expectancy, a finding known as over-diagnosis. False positives and over-diagnosis can cause harm, which means men and their doctors need to carefully consider the pros and cons of testing, based on each mans age and other individual characteristics.
For men with no family history of prostate cancer and no symptoms, the current guidelines recommend that men who decide to undergo regular testing should be offered PSA testing every two years from age 50 to 69.
For men with a family history of prostate cancer who decide to undergo testing, the guidelines recommend men be offered PSA testing every two years from age 40/45 to 69, with the starting age depending on the strength of their family history.
Learn more here >
What is PSA?
Who Should Take This Test
Any male over the age of 40 should establish a baseline PSA level and be regularly screened for prostate cancer. Based on your baseline PSA level and risk factors such as age, race, and family history, you might have to be re-tested annually, while others can wait years between screenings. Men are at greater risk if they:
- Have a family history of prostate cancer
- Are of black ethnic origin
- Are overweight or obese
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Does Psa Blood Test Need Fasting
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How To Prepare For The Test
Make sure your health care provider knows all the medicines you are taking. Some drugs cause your PSA level to be falsely low.
In most cases, no other special steps are needed to prepare for this test. You should not have a PSA test soon after having a urinary tract infection or undergoing a procedure or surgery involving the urinary system. Ask your provider how long you should wait.
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Is It Ok To Drink Water Before A Blood Test
Its fine to drink water before a blood test, unless youre instructed otherwise by your doctor. This is different from some surgical procedures, which may require you to have a totally empty stomach.
Tap or bottled water are both OK, but leave the squeeze of lemon for another time. Seltzer and club soda are off-limits. Carbonated beverages, flavored or otherwise, shouldnt be consumed during a fast, and neither should any type of tea.
What Are Some Tips For Fasting Before Psa Blood Testing
Unless specifically requested by a doctor, fasting is typically not required prior to a prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood test, according to Lab Tests Online. If fasting is required, patients must consume no food or drinks, except water, for a time period prior to the lab test, explains Quest Diagnostics.
Because its easier to draw blood from people who are adequately hydrated, its important to drink plenty of water while fasting prior to a blood test, according to Quest Diagnostics. Patients should continue taking all medications during the fasting period, unless otherwise directed by a doctor. When fasting is required, its best to schedule the blood test first thing in the morning to minimize the amount of time without food. If desired, patients may bring a snack with them to eat after the blood test is complete.
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