What does free prostate specific antigen mean?

The prostate is an important organ in the male urinary system. It is also a very sensitive organ. Older men are more likely to have prostate problems. For example, relatively common prostate problems include prostatitis and prostate hyperplasia. If prostate problems are not treated in time, they may develop into prostate cancer. But what does free prostate-specific antigen mean?

Free prostate-specific antigen is one of the manifestations of total prostate-specific antigen in serum. Prostate-specific antigen exists in serum in two forms: free form and bound form. The free form is called free prostate-specific antigen, which refers to the part of prostate-specific antigen that is not bound. The free prostate-specific antigen in patients with prostate cancer is lower than that in patients with prostate hyperplasia. Based on this feature clinically, a preliminary identification of prostate hyperplasia and prostate cancer can be made. The ratio of free prostate-specific antigen to total prostate antigen is usually used for judgment, with 0.16 as the standard. Preliminary judgment of the probability of prostate cancer through blood tests is of great significance for the early detection of prostate cancer.

Prostate Specific Antigen Cancer Screening

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test used to screen for prostate cancer does more harm than good. It often produces inaccurate positive results, leading to unnecessary treatment and adverse reactions in patients. It should be abandoned.

Prostate antigen is a protein produced by the prostate. An increase in prostate-specific antigen in the blood may be a sign of cancer, but it may also be caused by prostate aging, hypertrophy or inflammation.

The report said the main problems with the PSA test are false positive results and overdiagnosis. Once a positive result is confirmed, the patient usually undergoes more tests such as a biopsy, which brings other risks such as bleeding, infection and urinary incontinence.

Most prostate cancer patients have slow-growing tumors, and patients are more likely to die from other diseases before prostate tumor symptoms appear. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in men, and most prostate cancer patients have a good prognosis, with a 10-year survival rate of 95%.

The Canadian Preventive Health Care Task Force said that the current evidence is not conclusive to prove that the prostate-specific antigen test has the effect of reducing mortality, but the data clearly show that the test is more likely to harm patients. Therefore, the task force recommends that prostate-specific antigen should not be used for prostate cancer screening.

Evidence shows that almost one in five men aged 55 to 69 have at least one false-positive PSA test, and about 17% have had an unnecessary biopsy.

The panel recommends that men under 55 and over 70 should not use prostate-specific antigen for cancer screening. For men aged 55 to 69 who are at high risk of prostate cancer, PSA screening is not recommended or they should discuss the pros and cons with their doctors in detail before proceeding.

However, a doctor at the Toronto Cancer Center questioned the proposal, saying that by testing for prostate-specific antigen, doctors could detect fatal cancers early and save patients' lives in time. The proposal would lead to more deaths from prostate cancer.