Elevated psa blood test

Each year, thousands of male patients are diagnosed with high PSA levels after having their routine prostate screening test done. The most concerning thing about having a high PSA level is that it is due to prostate cancer. While it is true that all patients with prostate cancer have high PSA levels, it is not true that all patients with high PSA levels have prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is only one of the things that can elevate PSA levels. There are many other potential reasons for this result. In fact, almost anything that irritates the prostate gland will make the PSA levels go up for a temporary period. BPH (enlarged prostate) is a non-cancerous condition that can cause PSA levels to rise. Patients who have had a biopsy done recently will also have higher PSA levels. There is a condition called prostatitis that causes inflammation of the prostate gland; this too causes a rise in PSA levels. If a man has recently undergone a digital rectal exam, this could cause a rise in levels, as well recent ejaculation and riding a bicycle. Both have shown that they cause a small rise in the PSA levels.

When a patient’s PSA levels come back high, even if any of the above applies to him, another test must be done after some time passes to see if the levels have dropped. If they have not, this may be a sign of prostate cancer.