Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. Although prostate cancer is common, its course is extremely variable.
Some prostate cancers grow rapidly, metastasize, and quickly lead to death.
Many other prostate cancers, however, are clinically silent and found only incidentally at autopsy. PSA is a glycoprotein that is specific to the prostate but not to prostate cancer. Thus, it is produced by all types of prostate tissue, whether normal, hyperplastic, or malignant. Many men with benign prostatic hyperplasia will have an elevated PSA level, and some men with prostate cancer will have PSA tests in the normal range. Whether to screen asymptomatic men for prostate cancer with PSA testing is controversial.