In the U.S., PSA meaning has been a controversial area of debate for over a decade.
While doctors in many parts of the country still disagree with its usage, some groups have come around to support it, including those who use the prostate cancer test to diagnose prostate cancer.
The American Urological Association (AUA) has said that while the PSA should be used to determine if a man has prostate cancer, it should not be used to make an absolute diagnosis. It is possible that there may be no symptoms that would indicate the presence of the condition, the AUA said. PSA testing has also been criticized by many health organizations, as it has not proven to be extremely accurate. Nevertheless, there are many people who use the test to make sure that their family members are receiving regular screenings.
The National Institute of Health, however, said that PSA testing “is the best way to detect early symptoms of prostate cancer.” In a 2006 report released to the American Society of Clinical Oncologists, it said that the test can be useful to screen for prostate and rectal cancers in men who do not typically have any symptoms, such as those who are older and have had their prostate removed.
Doctors who are more traditional, such as urologists, do not support the use of the PSA as a screening tool for prostate cancer.
Instead, they recommend regular screening tests, including a digital rectal examination (DRE), blood tests, and mammograms.
PSA can only be used as a screening tool for men who do not have signs and symptoms of prostate cancer, such as bleeding after urination or a palpable lump in the testicles. This testing does not have the same accuracy as a mammogram, which can be used to determine the status of the prostate and provide a prognosis of its future growth, but it is considered to be less invasive than a prostatectomy.
The AUA does not support the use of PSA as a screening test for men who have already been diagnosed with prostate cancer. While it can help to monitor progress, it cannot determine whether the condition has progressed or whether surgery will be needed. If PSA test results show that a patient may have this condition, a doctor may recommend further tests to determine if a cancerous tumor is present.
Because of the controversy surrounding PSA testing, doctors who offer it to patients often ask them to undergo additional testing in order to confirm their PSA results. A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Associations suggested that more than half of the prostatectomies performed in the United States were conducted because of false positive tests.
Some tests can also result in more damage to surrounding tissue than is necessary. Other tests, such as a digital rectal examination (DRE), can be inaccurate because they are not designed to measure the prostate’s size accurately.
In response to the controversy surrounding its usage, the Urological Association of America has issued new guidelines recommending that PSA tests only be used to determine the presence of cancer in the prostate and not to make an absolute diagnosis. In a statement published by the organization, the association stated that doctors should take into account other factors, including age and symptoms. If symptoms are present, these patients should be tested for any other prostate conditions, like prostatitis, prostatic hyperplasia, or adenocarcinomas. Although the test cannot diagnose cancer, it can still be useful to help decide on a course of treatment and give men an idea if they may have it.