Everything You Need to Know About the PSA Test from the National Cancer Institute

The National Cancer Institute (NCI, the largest of the institutes of the National Institutes of Health, NIH) recently published an excellent fact sheet describing many aspects related to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. Specific subjects addressed include: a) what is the PSA test? b) Is the PSA test recommended for prostate cancer screening? c) What is a normal PSA result? d) What if screening shows an elevated level? e) Limitations and potential harms of using the PSA test for prostate cancer screening; f) Recent research on prostate cancer screening; g) How is the PSA test used in men who have been treated for prostate cancer? h) What does a PSA increase mean for men who have been treated? i) How are researchers trying to improve the PSA test?