Health Chat

PSA testing and screening: The PSA test

Most men had PSA tests, either to help with diagnosis, or to monitor the impact of treatment. Most men were tested when they consulted their doctors with urinary symptoms. However, two men were tested because they were taking part in treatment or screening trials and one man had a PSA test as part of a health scheme at work.
Men knew little about the prostate before they consulted their doctors, and very few men were given information about the PSA test, or the implications of an abnormal PSA result, before the test took place. However, some doctors did warn men that the PSA test was unreliable.