prostate specific antigen

According to a new study performed by the Vanderbuilt-Ingram Cancer center in Nashville, Tennessee; the size of a man’s prostate can help Doctors predict the severity of his prostate cancer. The researchers found that smaller prostates which produced higher levels of PSA (prostate specific antigen) in the blood are most often linked to serious forms of prostate cancer that require aggressive treatment.
Nothing about the size of the prostate alone indicates a negative outcome; what is significant is the ratio of PSA levels in relation to prostate size, or PSA density- meaning that a small prostate which produces a large amount of PSA is likely to be due to a bad tumor, whereas a large prostate that produces a large amount of PSA is most likely due to BPH, or ‘benign enlargement of the prostate’.
The researchers pointed out that the findings are significant since men with prostate cancer who are considered low-risk may receive less aggressive treatment or just be placed under observation.
"Urology and specifically studies dealing with the prostate suffer from this great confusion because in half of men you can find prostate cancer in microscopic amounts that may not be clinically significant and yet it's the second leading cause of cancer death among men. The more you look for it, the more you find it, but that doesn't help us figure out who needs treatment and who doesn't."

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