36-20-002. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) general

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The prostate in men synthesizes a large number of substances that affect the quality of sperm and the activity of the gonads. In case of serious diseases, the synthesis of these substances changes, which affects their concentration in the body. Therefore, to assess the activity of the prostate, the doctor may prescribe special tests that will show the concentration of a particular substance. One of the simplest and most effective methods for diagnosing the prostate is taking blood to determine the concentration of PSA in the body. But what is PSA anyway? How to donate blood for prostate PSA? And what rules should a person remember if he has been assigned this test?

Preparing for analysis on an empty stomach

The minimum time between the delivery of biomaterial and the last meal should be at least eight hours, if triglycerides are determined - at least twelve hours. During this period of time, only clean water is allowed . The consumption of tea, juices, carbonated water, coffee, alcohol and food in any form is prohibited.

You need to start limiting yourself two days before the tests; fried, fatty, spicy, and alcohol are excluded from the diet Smokers must smoke their last cigarette at least two hours before the biomaterial is collected.

You should also pay attention to your lifestyle; two days before the test, it is not recommended to ride a bicycle, play sports or other physical activities, or have sex.

What can affect PSA levels?

Serum PSA values ​​can be reduced by following certain rules in food selection.

Avoiding foods that increase PSA levels

Foods that irritate the prostate gland increase prostate-specific antigen levels.

Avoid foods that increase PSA levels

List of products whose regular consumption increases the level of prostate-specific agent in the blood serum:

• milk and dairy products (cheese, yogurt, eggs) contain large amounts of milk protein and saturated fats;
• animal fats contained in meat, butter, lard;
• meat, fish, potatoes and other products prepared by frying (contain carcinogens)
• canned foods.

Including foods that reduce PSA levels in your diet

Products containing lycopene

Lycopene is a natural red pigment. Contained in red, orange and yellow vegetables, giving them their characteristic color. Fruits and berries rich in lycopene - apricots, tropical guava, red grapefruit, watermelon. By chemical nature, it is an antioxidant - a substance that protects body cells from the harmful effects of free radicals. With age, the amount of antioxidants synthesized in the body decreases. Products containing natural antioxidants replenish the “reserve”, maintaining homeostasis and preventing the development of diseases.

Eating tomatoes can reduce PSA levels

A large amount of lycopene is found in tomatoes and their culinary products: tomato paste, sauce, juice. The beneficial properties of lycopene increase with thermal cooking of tomatoes. The content of beneficial pigment in tomato paste is even greater than in whole vegetables. The combination of lycopene with vegetable oil improves its absorption and digestion in the body. If there are contraindications to consuming tomatoes, you can replenish the content of the beneficial substance by taking the dietary supplement “Lycopene”.

"Lycopene"

Interesting ! Dihydrotestosterone is a hormone that promotes prostate growth. Products containing lycopene - lysine and zinc - block the production of dihydrotestosterone and reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Products containing lysine

Lysine is one of the eight essential amino acids that are not produced in the body and come only from food. This amino acid is found in fish (tuna) and seafood, lean meat. Plant sources of lysine are nuts, pumpkin seeds, potatoes, wheat germ, soybeans.

Products containing lysine

Products containing zinc

Products containing zinc are included in the diet to improve reproductive function. To maintain the balance of the microelement, you need to eat green peas, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, beets, spinach, apples, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and blackberries.

Products containing zinc

Pomegranate juice

Pomegranate juice is a unique natural drink, a storehouse of useful substances. The combination of vitamins B, A, C, organic acids, microelements, and fiber makes it indispensable for maintaining the normal functioning of the male reproductive system. Regular consumption of juice helps increase potency and reduces the level of prostate-specific antigen.

Men who regularly drink pomegranate juice have significantly lower PSA levels

For optimal effect, it is recommended to take freshly squeezed pomegranate juice an hour before lunch or dinner. It is advisable to add water or other juices to the drink.

Important ! If there are contraindications to the use of pomegranates, you can take capsules with pomegranate juice extract.

Total PSA

General is the most common type of PSA. The norm for this indicator, regardless of age, is 0-4 ng/ml. At the same time, the most favorable option for men over 40 years old should not exceed 2.5, and for those over 50 – 3.5.

Expert opinion

Kovaleva Elena Anatolyevna

Doctor-Laboratory Assistant. 14 years of experience in clinical diagnostic services.

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Elevated total PSA levels may indicate an inflammatory process (prostatitis) or prostate adenoma (benign hyperplasia).

Sometimes the cause of a high PSA level can be a mechanical effect on the gland (massage, urinary retention, biopsy, etc.), but this increase is temporary. However, a persistently elevated PSA indicates nothing more than prostate cancer.

Reliability of PSA indicator

The PSA test in men determines the level of prostate specific antigen. It is synthesized by prostate duct cells.

PSA is synthesized by prostate duct cells

PSA can be a product of the vital activity of “healthy” cells or structural formations of a malignant tumor.

Important ! With the development of neoplasms in the prostate (benign or malignant), the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood serum increases significantly.

However, fluctuations in tumor marker values ​​in the analysis may be affected by processes not associated with prostate degeneration.

Free PSA

This type of study is carried out only in cases where the test result for total PSA is slightly exceeded or is normal, but the specialist who conducts the observation and examination has doubts.

With this diagnosis, the main attention is paid to the ratio of total to free PSA. The proportion of free PSA to total should not exceed 10%.

The study should be carried out on an empty stomach; the time of day does not matter. The value of the level can be affected by prostate massage, TRUS, cystoscopy, biopsy and other mechanical influences, so the test must be taken at least a week after all the above procedures; it is better to discuss this period with a qualified specialist who conducts the examination.

What is PSA?

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a special protein that is synthesized by the prostate gland. Most of the PSA, after synthesis, is included in the seminal fluid, but a small amount of this protein enters the blood. Normally, in a healthy person, the concentration of PSA in the blood is 0-6 ng/ml. If the functioning of the prostate gland is impaired, then the synthesis of the PSA protein increases.

If a hidden pathology is suspected, the doctor may prescribe a blood test. A PSA blood test is used as a preliminary diagnostic method, and if the concentration of this protein level is exceeded, additional examination may be prescribed to clarify the type and nature of the disease. To properly donate blood for analysis, you need to follow certain rules, since a person’s lifestyle can affect the synthesis of PSA, which can distort the results of a blood test.

Correct PSA test

Intravenous blood sampling must be carried out before 11 am. This will reduce the likelihood of destruction of the blood cell structure. The approximate volume of biomaterial is about 2 ml. This is the minimum limit. The minimum that is sufficient to study biochemical parameters and determine the amount of gammon in the blood.

Repeat samples must be taken at the same time, and additional tests must also be taken before lunch. It is possible to donate biomaterial in a lying position, especially if you feel weak and tired due to forced abstinence from food. Also, we should not forget about the gaps in mechanical stress.

What types of PSA tests are there?

There are total and free PSA. Free are protein structures that are detected in the blood. The general analysis implies the total value of free protein and bound by prostate cells. Both studies are important in diagnosing prostate pathology. Changes in each of them and their ratio can become a decisive factor in the diagnosis of prostate pathology.

When choosing one of two research options, the final choice must be made by the attending physician - it is he who determines the importance of the diagnostic value of a particular study.

Indications for the study

List of factors that are objective reasons for indications for PSA:

• Having passed the threshold of forty years in men, the study is of a preventive nature, helping to identify the tumor at an early stage.
• Previous treatment of prostate tumor (desirable frequency 60-90 days)
• The attending physician suspects a tumor.
• Checking the effects of the drugs used in the treatment of prostate cancer.

men at least forty years of age are referred for such tests , but studies may be required earlier in some cases:

• partial emptying of the bladder
• frequent urges during the day and at night
• weak erection
• decreased libido and sexual desire.

Cancer screening

PSA is the most accurate tumor marker. When the disease is latent, there are no clinical signs. A screening study helps determine the value of the tumor marker and promptly detect cancer.

PSA shows whether a person has tumors in the prostate

How to increase your PSA blood test

To increase the level of prostate-specific antigen in the blood, you need to:

1. Be actively sexually active for several days before the study.
2. Drinking alcohol.
3. Massage the prostate.
4. Undergo radiation examinations - X-rays, CT, MRI.

However, it should be remembered that incorrect interpretation of the study results by a doctor can lead to the prescription of incorrect treatment.

A deliberate increase in PSA levels leads to additional trauma to the prostate gland and increases the risk of developing cancer of this organ.

How to interpret a PSA test

Only a doctor should decipher the PA analysis! However, there is a special table corresponding to the level of PA and the age of a man.

According to recent studies, the PSA norm is an uncertain indicator. Even if the level of protein structure corresponds to the above reference values, this does not exclude the presence of prostate cancer. Only a prostate biopsy can confirm or refute this diagnosis. If it shows a negative result, it is necessary to further monitor the level of prostate-specific antigen. If the values ​​increase several times, a biopsy should be repeated.

Zero is a normal level of prostate-specific antigen. There are no negative values.

Why does the PSA test jump?

Changes in the analysis over a short period of time often do not indicate the rapid development of the oncological process, but the presence of other causes that destroy prostate cells. This often involves intercourse or masturbation for several days before the test. An inflammatory process or organ ischemia may also develop, which cannot be detected immediately. However, they also change prostate-specific antigen levels.

To reliably know the reasons for fluctuations in PSA levels, it is necessary to carefully find out what the man did in the period between tests, and whether he noticed any changes in the body.

It is also necessary to seek help from a general practitioner for a comprehensive examination of the body and to identify the cause of changes in study results.

How is a PSA test done?

The main condition for taking the test is to prepare properly and come to the laboratory at the appointed time.

After all the preparations, in the treatment room, the health worker takes a few ml of blood from a vein, then sticks a patch on the puncture site. Immediately after the procedure, it is recommended to drink warm sweet tea or have breakfast.

For healthy men without prostate pathology, a test to determine PSA levels is recommended once a year. If prostate hyperplasia is diagnosed, this period is reduced. The frequency of testing is determined by the attending physician.

How to prepare for a PSA test

Preparing for the test is quite simple - the rules for taking it are the same as for all tests related to venous blood.

The main condition is not to eat or drink 8-12 hours before the procedure and arrive on time on an empty stomach.

It is best to contact the laboratory in the morning. There is no need to follow a special diet before taking the test. However, a few days before the test, it is necessary to completely eliminate alcohol. You should stop smoking just half an hour before the test. In the medical laboratory, immediately before the test, you are allowed to drink half a glass of water.