Any factor that causes prostate damage or infection can raise PSA, such as urinary tract infection, prostate stones, recent catheterization and urethral cystoscopy, recent prostate puncture biopsy or prostate surgery. Sexual activity can increase PSA by 10%, and rectal examinations and prostate massage prior to blood PSA testing can also increase PSA values. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) can also increase PSA, mainly because more prostate cells produce more PSA. BPH produces a lower amount of elevated PSA than prostate cancer, so PSA density (PSA value/prostate volume) is lower in BPH than in prostate cancer. The rate of change in PSA values over time is called the PSA rate. Most people think that the PSA rate for prostate enlargement rarely exceeds 0.7 ng/ml per year. Yes, there are medications that can affect the PSA. finasteride (Propecia), a medication used to treat BPH, can reduce the size of the prostate and also reduce the PSA by 50%. Regardless of the original PSA value, it definitely reduces the PSA value from the previous one. If the PSA continues to rise while taking finasteride (Bovril) (on a regular schedule), the cause of the rise should be carefully evaluated. The effect of finasteride (borrelia) on the free PSA ratio (free PSA value/total PSA) is not significant and the ratio remains relatively stable. Other drugs such as ketoconazole reduce the amount of testosterone produced by the testes and lower PSA values. This decrease in testosterone can shrink the enlarged prostate caused by BPH or prostate cancer. Testosterone is degraded in the body to a chemical called dihydrotestosterone, which stimulates the proliferation of prostate cells. Therefore, testosterone stimulates the growth of normal prostate cells and even cancer cells. Because normal prostate cells produce PSA, there is no question that PSA values also increase as normal prostate cells proliferate. Prostate cancer cells are composed of hormone-sensitive and hormone-non-sensitive cells. Hormone-insensitive cells grow independently of testosterone and its products, whereas hormone-sensitive cells are influenced by testosterone. Thus, it appears that an increase in testosterone promotes the growth of hormone-sensitive prostate cancer cells. In contrast, androgen therapy has not been found to cause prostate cancer development to date.