What is the blood test used to screen for prostate cancer?

What is the blood test used to screen for prostate cancer?

• A. Retrograde pyelogram
• B. Semen analysis
• C. Peritoneal dialysis
• D. PSA

Answer: (D)

Measuring PSA levels in the blood is used to screen for prostate cancer. PSA is a protein produced by prostate cells, and when cancer develops or grows, some PSA can leak into the bloodstream, so a blood sample can flag possible cancer. However, PSA can also be elevated due to noncancer conditions like prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia, so an abnormal result isn't diagnostic on its own and prompts further evaluation (repeat PSA, digital rectal exam, imaging, and possibly biopsy). The other items are not blood tests for cancer screening: one is an imaging study of the urinary tract, another assesses fertility by examining semen, and the last is a kidney replacement therapy option, not a diagnostic test. So the blood test used to screen for prostate cancer is PSA.

Measuring PSA levels in the blood is used to screen for prostate cancer. PSA is a protein produced by prostate cells, and when cancer develops or grows, some PSA can leak into the bloodstream, so a blood sample can flag possible cancer. However, PSA can also be elevated due to noncancer conditions like prostatitis or benign prostatic hyperplasia, so an abnormal result isn't diagnostic on its own and prompts further evaluation (repeat PSA, digital rectal exam, imaging, and possibly biopsy).

The other items are not blood tests for cancer screening: one is an imaging study of the urinary tract, another assesses fertility by examining semen, and the last is a kidney replacement therapy option, not a diagnostic test. So the blood test used to screen for prostate cancer is PSA.