The prostate is not essential for life, but it is important for reproduction. The prostate typically grows during one’s teenage years, under the control of the hormone testosterone and its

Prostate Cancer Screening

94% of men discover they have prostate cancer from screening tests. Only around 5% of men discover it from urinary or erectile symptoms. Therefore, it is vitally important for men to do prostate cancer screening.

If you are of African/Caribbean ancestry, have a family history of prostate cancer and are 40 years or older, you should get a PSA test.

PSA Test

To screen for prostate cancer, one of the most common tests is the PSA test. PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen.

The PSA test is a straightforward blood test that works by measuring the amount of PSA in your blood. This works because under normal circumstances, prostate cells release a certain level of PSA. However, since prostate cancer cells grow at a rapid and uncontrolled pace they create much higher levels of PSA than normal. Detecting a higher than normal level of PSA may indicate the presence of cancer, although some individuals naturally have higher PSA levels.

A better indicator of prostate cancer is a significant change in PSA levels compared to one’s baseline levels. This is why doing early and regular screening is extremely important to allow your doctor to establish a baseline and monitor for these changes to catch it early.

If a significant change or elevation of your PSA level is found, your doctor will have to perform other tests to definitively confirm if it is prostate cancer.

nd environment for sperm transit and survival, and for fertilization. Semen includes enzymes like PSA (which is often measured as part of screening for prostate cancer), as well as other substances made by the seminal vesicles and prostate, such as zinc, citrate, and fructose (that actually gives sperm energy to make the journey to the egg).