Prostate-specific antigen testing for prostate cancer. Practical interpretation of values.

The mere mention of prostate cancer strikes fear in the hearts of men. Fortunately, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is now a recognized tumor marker that can indicate but not exclude the presence of this potentially fatal disease. In this article, Drs Randrup and Baum explain the nature of PSA and the practical application of serum PSA determination. Also discussed are three PSA-based strategies for early diagnosis and guidelines for interpreting PSA values in the primary care setting.