Tumor markers are helpful biochemical markers that assist in screening and identifying individuals at high risk of developing cancer. They are also used when diagnosing specific types of tumors and monitoring the progress of specific tumors (McCance & Huether, 2013). Cells from benign tumors and malignant tumors produce tumor markers which can be present in blood, spinal fluid, and in urine (McCance & Huether, 2013). The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an antigen that is secreted by the prostate into the blood (McCance & Huether, 2013). The tumor marker is still utilized to assist in detecting and managing prostate cancer, but much controversy remains regarding the reliability of the tumor marker. Many research findings support
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Also, studies identify limitations of PSA, including the low specificity as well as the low negative predictive value of the antigen (Klaus et al., 2014). The issue that remains is, because PSA is an organ-specific antigen, the PSA levels may be altered as a result of other factors such as ejaculation, the presence of inflammation, and as a result of benign prostatic hyperplasia (Mearini, 2013). Because PSA is not cancer-specific, it is difficult to determine a diagnosis based on elevated PSA levels alone, which often leads to additional unnecessary testing such as biopsies (Mearini, …show more content…
Thanks to recent study findings, the Prostate Health Index (PHI) test can assist in an early diagnosis of prostate cancer by making the total PSA and the percentage of free PSA more reliable by improving the accuracy of the results (Mearini, 2013). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the prostate cancer gene three (PCA3); to be used to detect prostate cancer in early stages if present in the urine (Klaus et al., 2014). Also, elevated ERG proto-oncogene indicates gene fusion, which is typically present in prostate tumors (Furusato et al., 2010). In addition, the TMPRSS2 gene is present with ERG in 50% of individuals with prostate cancer (Klaus et al., 2014). Using PSA in combination with other biomarkers such as PCA3 and TMPRSS2 gene can lead to the early discovery of prostate cancer (Klaus et al., 2014). The purpose of a study by Nam et al., (2016) was to compare the effects of using a prostate MRI verse the effects of using PSA as screening method for prostate cancer. The overall findings of the study indicated using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as a primary screening for prostate cancer was more effective at detecting prostate cancer than using the prostate-specific antigen test (Nam et al., 2016). Therefore, using alternative screening methods such as
Also, studies identify limitations of PSA, including the low specificity as well as the low negative predictive value of the antigen (Klaus et al., 2014). The issue that remains is, because PSA is an organ-specific antigen, the PSA levels may be altered as a result of other factors such as ejaculation, the presence of inflammation, and as a result of benign prostatic hyperplasia (Mearini, 2013). Because PSA is not cancer-specific, it is difficult to determine a diagnosis based on elevated PSA levels alone, which often leads to additional unnecessary testing such as biopsies (Mearini, …show more content…
Thanks to recent study findings, the Prostate Health Index (PHI) test can assist in an early diagnosis of prostate cancer by making the total PSA and the percentage of free PSA more reliable by improving the accuracy of the results (Mearini, 2013). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the prostate cancer gene three (PCA3); to be used to detect prostate cancer in early stages if present in the urine (Klaus et al., 2014). Also, elevated ERG proto-oncogene indicates gene fusion, which is typically present in prostate tumors (Furusato et al., 2010). In addition, the TMPRSS2 gene is present with ERG in 50% of individuals with prostate cancer (Klaus et al., 2014). Using PSA in combination with other biomarkers such as PCA3 and TMPRSS2 gene can lead to the early discovery of prostate cancer (Klaus et al., 2014). The purpose of a study by Nam et al., (2016) was to compare the effects of using a prostate MRI verse the effects of using PSA as screening method for prostate cancer. The overall findings of the study indicated using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as a primary screening for prostate cancer was more effective at detecting prostate cancer than using the prostate-specific antigen test (Nam et al., 2016). Therefore, using alternative screening methods such as