Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a substance produced by the prostate gland. The PSA level might be increased in a patient’s blood if he has prostate cancer, but also if he has a prostate inflammation, infection or benign prostatic hypertrophy (i.e., enlarged non-cancerous prostate). A PSA test can determine the PSA level in blood, and is done by taking a blood sample for testing.

Recent studies have shown that the PSA levels in young male adults could determine the prostate cancer risk as they age. Males were monitored during decades from their young teenage years, and those with slightly elevated PSA levels, while still in the normal range, had a higher risked of developing prostate cancer as they aged.

When asked about the reasons for the PSA level correlation to the prostate cancer risk, the researchers said that a direct biological reason could be that PSA in youth may increase in proportion to the number of premalignant or malignant cells in the prostate, or, "PSA may itself contribute to neoplastic initiation or progression in the prostate".

The PSA levels were also correlated with ethnic background, with black men being 4.4 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than white men. The reasons for this are still being studied and there is no major significant biological or physiological finding.

Early diagnosis of prostate cancer and PSA testing are very important, so contact your doctor for more information and early testing and diagnosis.