For men using topical testosterone therapy, PSA levels should be checked before starting treatment and then again after 3-6 months. The PSA test is a blood test primarily used to detect prostate cancer. The test measures the amount of prostatic specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. PSA is a protein produced by both cancerous and non-cancerous tissue in the prostate, a small gland found below the bladder in men.
The recommendation for testing patients receiving androgen therapy includes establishing baseline PSA and testosterone levels and monitoring PSA levels every 3 to 6 months for the first year of treatment. Although 34.9% of the patients had their baseline PSA levels measured, less than 1% of the patients underwent the recommended continuous monitoring. However, some of these patients would have discontinued treatment and therefore would not have needed continuous monitoring. Whether the men had undergone baseline tests for prostatic specific antigen (PSA) and testosterone before starting treatment and if the men had been monitored for the first year of treatment.
It's also possible that Canadian family doctors weren't aware of the recommendations for baseline testosterone and PSA tests. The PSA test can detect high levels of PSA in the blood, but it doesn't provide accurate diagnostic information about the state of the prostate. We tested the relationship between physician and patient characteristics and baseline PSA and testosterone tests using logistic regression. Of the 902 men who filled their prescriptions for the first time during the study period, only 475 (52.7%) had ever undergone a PSA or testosterone test.
To decide whether to take a PSA test, discuss it with your doctor, taking into account your risk factors and weighing your personal preferences. Of the 902 patients who were first prescribed during the study period, only 475 (52.7%) had ever undergone a PSA or testosterone test. In the province of Manitoba, the provincial health plan covers both PSA and testosterone tests, so the cost of testing is no obstacle to meeting follow-up recommendations. The doctor may use other ways to interpret the PSA results before deciding whether to request a biopsy to detect cancerous tissue.
Then, the PSA must be monitored biannually while the patient remains in TRT, in addition to undergoing an annual digital rectal exam. Rural androgen users are likely to have their testosterone levels measured, but they are less likely to have their PSA measured before starting treatment than those who live in urban areas. The potential risks of the PSA test are essentially related to the decisions you make based on the test results, such as the decision to undergo more tests and treatments for prostate cancer. This file was merged with the laboratory files for PSA and testosterone tests from the 8 laboratories that perform all of these tests in Manitoba during the period from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2003.
