prostate-specific antigen

American  

[prahst-ayt-spi-sif-ik an-ti-juhn] / ˈprɑst eɪt spɪˈsɪf ɪk ˈæn tɪ dʒən /

noun

1. Physiology. a protein produced by the prostate that, if present in high levels, may indicate the presence of cancer.

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prostate-specific antigen Scientific  

1. A protease secreted by the epithelial cells of the prostate gland. Blood levels are elevated in patients with prostate enlargement and prostate cancer and are used as a screening test for prostate cancer.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prostate-specific antigen

As Jill explains in an early chapter, doctors don’t typically recommend prostate-specific antigen screenings for men over 70, given that cancer spreads slowly at that age and isn’t thought to affect life expectancy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

In a Phase 1 trial, 14 of 17 patients showed at least a 50% reduction in prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, a protein that indicates the presence of prostate cancer at elevated levels.

From Barron's ● Feb. 24, 2026

The EpiSwitch PSE test is said to be able to detect prostate cancer with 94% accuracy, which the charity called a "significant improvement" on the most commonly used prostate-specific antigen test.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2025

This is especially valuable because, measures of disease burden, such as prostate-specific antigen levels, become unreliable when a tumor switches its identity to NEPC.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 10, 2024

Men aged 55 to 69 or otherwise at risk can be tested for a prostate-specific antigen, a substance made by the prostate.

From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2023