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Having elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doesn’t mean you have cancer. But monitoring your PSA levels over several years enables prostate cancer experts to detect spikes that warrant further investigation. Fellowship-trained urologist David B Samadi, MD, offers routine PSA testing at his Central Midtown Manhattan office in New York City. He uses your test results to ensure that you get prompt treatment for elevated PSA without enduring unnecessary procedures. Call Dr. Samadi’s office today or schedule your PSA test online.
What is elevated PSA?
Elevated PSA means higher-than-normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in your blood. Elevated PSA indicates that your prostate gland isn’t working as it should, which could result from an infection, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH/enlarged prostate), or prostate cancer.
PSA velocity records how your PSA levels change over time. PSA mapping by a prostate cancer specialist is the best way to see if elevations are significantly abnormal.
How does my doctor test for elevated PSA?
Dr. Samadi takes a blood sample to measure your PSA levels. A PSA level of 4.0ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter) is normal. Changes exceeding 2.0ng/ml per year indicate that you could have prostate cancer, an infection, or an enlarged prostate.
Some clinicians believe routine PSA testing leads to avoidable prostate biopsies and/or treatment. While all medical procedures can have adverse side effects, Dr. Samadi believes there are practical ways to reduce these risks, providing you visit a prostate cancer specialist.
For example, taking antibiotics and following your recovery recommendations can prevent biopsy infections. Robotic prostatectomy surgery has successful outcomes, provided you choose an experienced, specialized surgeon like Dr. Samadi.
When should I get tested for elevated PSA?
The national recommendation is that most men have a PSA test every two years. Men between 55 and 69 are advised to make their own decisions regarding a testing schedule.
Based on his prostate cancer experience, Dr. Samadi strongly encourages men to get a baseline test at 40 and have annual PSA screenings afterward. He also believes that all men over 40 should have a digital rectal exam (DRE) during their annual physical.
Some men are at increased risk of getting prostate cancer. If you’re at risk, PSA screening should begin earlier. Closely monitoring PSA levels makes detecting and treating cancer during its earliest stages possible.
What happens if I have elevated PSA?
Dr. Samadi can do an MRI fusion prostate biopsy if your test shows an elevated PSA level. He takes a tiny tissue sample from your prostate for lab analysis to determine the cause of your elevated PSA.
If you have difficulties urinating, blood in your urine, a constant urge to urinate, or feel like you can’t fully empty your bladder, see your doctor immediately. These could be BPH or prostate cancer symptoms.
Call David B Samadi, MD, today or book an appointment online to arrange testing for elevated PSA.