Know Your Prostate Cancer Risk

Men 40+ years old should consider screening for prostate cancer, depending on their racial background and family history. We recommend consulting with your doctor.

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by normal, as well as cancerous, cells of the prostate gland. A PSA test is a common blood test to screen for prostate cancer. The higher the PSA, the higher the likelihood of prostate cancer

Although PSA is used to screen for prostate cancer, high PSA results can occur for many reasons other than prostate cancer, including an enlarged prostate gland, prostate infection, recent sexual activity, or rigorous exercise. In fact, three out of four men with an elevated PSA do not have prostate cancer. Often, an elevated PSA result will lead to additional follow-up, like biomarker testing, to help determine whether prostate cancer is present.

Clinically significant prostate cancer is a type of prostate cancer for which immediate treatment is typically recommended. This is different from low-grade prostate cancer, which often does not require treatment. MPS2 predicts the likelihood that your urologist will find clinically significant prostate cancer if you have a biopsy.

The National Cancer Institute defines a biomarker as a biological molecule found in tissue, blood, or other bodily fluids that “is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease.”