Is high prostate specific antigen a sign of cancer?

The incidence of prostate disease has been increasing in recent years. Most men will have some prostate disease to a greater or lesser extent. Prostate disease is mostly caused by some bad living habits. Men have high work pressure, drink alcohol, overeating, irregular sleeping habits, etc. These can all cause prostate disease. Prostate disease needs to be carefully examined before treatment. Prostate-specific antigen is a method of examination. If this value is too high, is it cancer?

Is high prostate specific antigen a sign of cancer?

Prostate-specific antigen is an antigen of the prostate. It is produced by tumor cells and secreted into the blood. Normal prostate cells also have it, but the amount secreted into the blood is relatively less, so a normal person's prostate will show a numerical value when tested.

The normal reference value of PSA is 4ug/L. Below 4ug/L is normal. When the value is between 4ug/L and 10ug/L, it is recommended to have regular checkups and consider the possibility of inflammation. Above 10ug/L, the possibility of prostate cancer is often higher.

The value is a reference, but it also needs to be judged in combination with other indicators. Therefore, normal prostate hyperplasia can also cause an increase in PSA, but the number is often not that high. In addition, prostatitis can also cause an increase in PSA. If prostatitis is elevated, anti-inflammatory treatment can be used, and PSA will drop, which may not be a tumor.

There are no early symptoms of prostate cancer. Because there is a zone outside the prostate called the peripheral zone, and there is a heterosexual area in the middle, most prostate cancers occur in the peripheral zone, which does not put much pressure on the urethra, so there are no early symptoms.

But if it is too late, the tumor will grow bigger and bigger and squeeze the urethra. The urethra passes through the prostate, so prostate cancer will definitely squeeze the urethra in the later stages. After the urethra is squeezed, it will cause difficulty in urination. If there is rupture and bleeding, there will be hematuria. The patient will always have a feeling of falling and other symptoms. There are no symptoms in the early stages.

In addition, when prostate cancer metastasizes in the late stage, bone metastasis is likely to occur. Some patients with bone metastasis first experience bone pain, such as constant pain in the shoulders or hips. This is a manifestation of bone metastasis.

Does a high PSA level in prostate cancer mean it has turned into cancer?

The cancer cell structure arrangement of prostate cancer patients is actually very chaotic, which often destroys the original normal tissue structure and growth function of human cells. At this time, people's PSA will be released into the blood vessels, causing the PS content in the blood to increase.

In addition, prostate hyperplasia, urinary tract infection, and oral medications may affect the PSA value and may cause the PSA content to increase. Therefore, a PSA test result that is higher than normal does not necessarily mean that cancer has occurred.

In addition, the normal value of the PSA value should be less than four, but in fact, when a prostate puncture examination is performed on patients with a PSA value greater than four, the positive rate is only 30~40%. The higher the PSA value, the higher the proportion.

If the PSA test result shows that it is less than four, people may actually have cancer.