What Is Considered an Elevated PSA Level?

PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a protein found in the prostate. High levels of PSA may be a sign of prostate cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute. A reading of 10.0 ng/mL is considered a high level, according to LabTestsOnline.

Test

• PSA levels can be tested with a standard blood test. The test is performed whether or not a patient shows prostate cancer symptoms.

Reasons

• The FDA has approved the PSA test to check for prostate cancer in men over 50. Doctors may also want to test men with family history of the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Result

• PSA tests check the PSA level circulating in the blood. Levels are usually reported as nanograms per milliliter, according to the National Cancer Institute.

High PSA Levels

• If no symptoms exist, doctors may recommend monitoring PSA levels with regular PSA tests. Imaging tests or biopsy may be used if symptoms exist.

Limitations

• PSA testing may help detect tumors, but it doesn̵7;t necessarily prevent the disease from spreading, according to the National Cancer Institute. False-positive or false-negative results are possible, according to the institute.