PSA is the abbreviation for prostate-specific antigen, which is by far the most widely used tumor indicator in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. In most cases, when a patient has prostate cancer, the PSA level in the blood rises (normal value is 4ng/ml), and when prostate cancer is effectively treated, the PSA level decreases to varying degrees, making PSA both an important tool for diagnosing prostate cancer and a good indicator of the effectiveness of prostate cancer treatment. The PSA test is performed by drawing blood and the results are usually available on the same day. It is easy and inexpensive, and whether or not you eat before the blood is drawn does not affect the test results. This test was first used clinically in China in 1994, and today, it is included in the annual physical examination of employees over 50 years old in many organizations. As the clinical use of PSA becomes more widespread, how should you interpret your PSA test results? In our clinical work, we have summarized two major “misconceptions” that are worth noting. Like many other malignant tumors, prostate cancer needs to be diagnosed early to get better treatment results. The PSA plays a vital role in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer, and in fact, it is because of the PSA test that the diagnosis rate of early prostate cancer in China has been fully improved. In many less developed cities and regions, PSA has not yet become a routine medical test, which requires people to understand the importance of this test, and every man should go to the hospital for this test once he reaches the appropriate age (50-55 years old and above). Once the PSA test is above normal (4ng/ml), it is important to go to a regular hospital for further diagnosis to rule out prostate cancer. Unfortunately for our clinicians, even in developed cities like Shanghai, many prostate cancer patients are diagnosed in the middle to late stages (national data show that the percentage is even as high as 50%). Some of these patients even found their PSA elevated 2-3 years ago, but they thought “I don’t have any problem with urination, so it must be okay”, so they didn’t pay enough attention until the PSA was so high that it was “scary”. The most important thing is that you can get the best treatment for prostate cancer. This kind of thing can be encountered almost every day in clinical work, which shows that there is still a lot of work to be done in the popularization of prostate cancer education. In contrast to the first misconception, there are some patients who place too much importance on the PSA test results and are worried by an abnormal PSA test value, and erroneously equate “elevated PSA” with “prostate cancer” in their minds. The result of this is that you will be worried all day long and even experience general discomfort. Does an elevated PSA confirm the diagnosis of prostate cancer? The answer is no, of course. The answer is no. Prostate cancer can only be confirmed by finding cancer cells through a “prostate aspiration”. In fact, when the PSA is in the range of 4-20 ng/ml, the positive rate of finding cancer cells by prostate puncture is only 20-30%, and even with our new targeted puncture techniques, the positive rate is only about 40%. Many patients have elevated PSA that is not caused by prostate cancer. Conditions such as prostate enlargement, urinary tract infection, and inflammation of the prostate can also cause elevated PSA. When a single PSA measurement reveals an elevated PSA, the best course of action is to take the test results to the urology department of a regular hospital as soon as possible. The doctor will have more ways to help you determine the cause of the elevated PSA, do not worry about yourself, or even avoid the disease, which will only increase the psychological burden on yourself and your family, and will do no good to your health.