Prostate-specific antigen exists in several forms in the blood. The free PSA test is a follow-up to the PSA test. It helps determine whether slight elevations shown in the PSA test are due to cancer or just an enlarged prostate. The screening information provided by the free PSA test will be of the most benefit to those at high risk for prostate cancer, Dr. Slawin says. However, early detection is currently our best weapon in the fight against prostate cancer.
Researchers say African-American men tend to develop prostate cancer at a younger age.
When the cancer is diagnosed, it is often more advanced and more aggressive. Of this group of men, whites have a 25 percent risk of having prostate cancer, while the risk in African-American men is from 30 percent to 50 percent. Before the free PSA test was developed, the men in this group were subject to repeat biopsies. The report is based on a multi-center study, the largest to compare free PSA test results between the two races.