What is the difference between PSA and free PSA? Do I would like to have each tests?
Whether you wish each tests really relies on your individual situation. This is why this query generates a lot debate and confusion.
PSA, a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland, circulates within the body in two ways: either certain to other proteins or by itself. A PSA traveling alone known as a free PSA. The Free PSA test measures the proportion of unbound PSA. The PSA test measures the overall of each free and certain PSA.
Prostate cancer can raise PSA levels, but so can other conditions. These include an enlarged prostate, prostatitis and aging. In fact, studies show that about 75% of men with an elevated PSA don't develop prostate cancer. To determine which men even have cancer and which don't, doctors traditionally do a biopsy. Undergoing a biopsy just isn't as painful as surgery, however it does cause discomfort and may trigger anxiety.
Rather than subjecting everyone with an elevated PSA to biopsy, some urologists measure free PSA in patients with total PSA levels between 4 ng/ml and 10 ng/ml. Studies show that men with a complete PSA on this “gray area” and a free PSA greater than 25% usually tend to have a benign condition than to have cancer, making a biopsy unnecessary. Men with total PSA in the identical range and lower than 10% free PSA should undergo biopsy. Most likely, they've prostate cancer.
In some cases, men with a “normal” PSA even have cancer, but this low PSA doesn't prompt a biopsy. A low PSA and a low percentage of free PSA, nonetheless, will probably occur. This is why some doctors robotically order each tests at the identical time. I are likely to order a free PSA test when the overall PSA yields borderline results and when the PSA appears to be rising rapidly, even when the actual number is comparatively low. So, while a free-PSA test just isn't essential, the outcomes may influence your decision about whether or to not have a biopsy at the side of other tests. In the longer term, other tests may help determine whether PSA changes are brought on by cancerous tissue or benign causes.