The standard test to assess whether men are at risk of prostate cancer is a blood test, known as a PSA test.

PSA stands for Prostate Specific Antigen, a protein made by the prostate which naturally leaks into the bloodstream.

A high PSA score indicates prostate cancer may be present, but it is a risk assessment not a diagnosis.
Raised PSA may be caused by a non life-threatening condition called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH.

Other factors such as the patient’s age, family history and ethnicity will be considered, along with any previous PSA readings.

The Birmingham Prostate Clinic advises men over the age of 50 to have regular PSA measurements and keep a record of these readings.

We offer patients a PSA record card to keep this information, enabling urologists to see how the PSA is behaving over a period of time.
Further tests will be undertaken including a digital rectal examination of the prostate and prostate volume measurement (using ultrasound).

The Birmingham Prostate Clinic was one of the first centres in the UK to offer the PCA3 test which provides a more accurate assessment of prostate cancer risk than the PSA.

By considering this wide range of measurements, our urologists are best placed to decide whether a biopsy for prostate cancer is necessary.