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Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)

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Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

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Synonyms

Kallikrein-3; P-30 antigen; Semenogelase; Seminin

Definition

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by cells of the prostate gland. PSA functions in male fertility, and most of it gets expelled from the body in semen. However, low levels circulate in the blood. Elevated serum PSA levels often indicate the presence of prostate cancer and other prostate disorders.

Description

Measuring PSA

The PSA screening test measures the total level of PSA circulating in the blood serum. PSA levels above 4 ng per milliliter are considered above normal. However, total PSA does not offer a definitive diagnosis for cancer or other prostate disease. Therefore, additional measures of PSA have been integrated to depict a more comprehensive profile of prostate disease characteristics. For example, PSA velocity measures the rate of increase in PSA over time. Generally, larger PSA velocity is associated with prostate cancer. Free PSA is the percentage of circulating PSA that is not...

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References and Readings

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. HSR&D Center of Excellence, Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center (MEDVAMC 152), 2002 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Dr. Marc A. Kowalkouski & Dr. Heather Honoré Goltz

  2. Department of Social Sciences, University of Houston-Downtown, One Main Street, Suite N1033, Houston, TX, 77002, USA

    Dr. Heather Honoré Goltz

  3. Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, Toronto, ON, M5B 2K3, Canada

    Dr. Stacey L. Hart

  4. Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, 6620 Main St., Suite 1325, Houston, TX, 77030, USA

    Dr. David Latini

Authors
  1. Dr. Marc A. Kowalkouski
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  2. Dr. Heather Honoré Goltz
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  3. Dr. Stacey L. Hart
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  4. Dr. David Latini
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heather Honoré Goltz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Behavioral Medicine Research Center, Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA

    Marc D. Gellman

  2. Cardiovascular Safety, Quintiles, Durham, NC, USA

    J. Rick Turner

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media, New York

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Kowalkouski, M.A., Goltz, H.H., Hart, S.L., Latini, D. (2013). Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA). In: Gellman, M.D., Turner, J.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_211

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_211

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1004-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1005-9

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