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PSA: Prostate Infection

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PSA levels can rise dramatically with a prostate infection, but they return to the reference range after the infection has healed. A vigorous prostate massage also can produce a brief elevation of PSA.
Low concentrations of PSA have been identified in urethral glands, endometrium, normal breast tissue, breast milk, salivary gland tissue, and in the urine of males and females. PSA also is found in the serum of women with breast, lung, or uterine cancer and in some patients with renal cancer.
Serine proteases are bound mostly to various serum proteins. A small percent of serum
PSA exists in the free form, but the majority is bound to either alpha2-macroglobulin
(AMG) or alpha1-antichymotrypsin (ACT). These are the 2 major serine protease
inhibitors …show more content…

The majority of PSA is produced by the glands in the transitional zone of the prostate. This portion of the prostate is associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The peripheral zone, where 80% of prostate cancers originate, produces very little PSA.
By measuring PSA before and after transurethral resection of the prostate, Stamey et al were able to calculate the amount of PSA produced per gram of benign prostatic tissue. Comparing the weights of resected tissue and the change in serum PSA, the
PSA in μg/L/g of hyperplastic tissue was 0.31 plus or minus 0.25. The polyclonal
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Yang assay was used for this study. The Hybritech monoclonal assay produced a measurement of 0.5 μg/L plus or minus 0.4. Lee et al calculated that serum PSA was elevated in 0.12 μg/L/g of benign prostatic tissue using the monoclonal assay
The serum PSA level can be altered by various medications, noncancerous prostatic disease, and urologic manipulations. Finasteride (Proscar) and dutasteride (Avodart),
5-alpha reductase inhibitors that are commonly prescribed for the treatment of

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