{"id":99,"date":"2014-04-06T04:52:41","date_gmt":"2014-04-06T04:52:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newyorkurologyspecialists.com\/prostate-cancer\/?page_id=99"},"modified":"2026-05-08T04:32:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T04:32:15","slug":"elevated-psa-a-guide-to-men","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.newyorkurologyspecialists.com\/prostate-cancer\/elevated-psa-a-guide-to-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Elevated PSA: A Guide To Men – New York Urology Specialists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Elevated PSA: A Guide To Men<\/h1>\n

Prostate Cancer<\/strong> in New York City – 2026<\/strong><\/h1>\n

by Alex Shteynshlyuger MD<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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If you have any questions, to schedule a consultation<\/a>, please <\/a>contact us<\/a> or call\/text: 1-646-663-5515<\/span><\/a><\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have excellent reviews from patients <\/a><\/strong>and their partners.  Information for out-of-state and international patients<\/a>.  Find out our office hours or directions to our office<\/a>. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

We offer affordable appointment prices<\/a> with or without insurance.  <\/strong><\/span>Same-day virtual video appointments<\/strong> and in-person appointments<\/strong> are available.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Alex Shteynshlyuger<\/a><\/strong> is a fellowship-trained urologic oncologist, a robotically-trained surgeon who specializes in all aspects of care for early, advanced, and metastatic prostate cancer<\/b>. He is a member of the Society for Urologic Oncology and the American Society for Clinical Oncology.<\/p>\n

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Elevated PSA: How High is High?<\/h2>\n

It is important to understand that the PSA test, when used for predicting prostate cancer risk, is not a “Yes” or “No” test.<\/p>\n

There is no specific cutoff for the PSA test.  Because PSA varies from man to man as a result of age, genetic profile, prostate size, and a number of other variables, the values that are considered elevated are patient-specific.<\/p>\n

\"Prostate

Prostate-Specific antigen<\/p><\/div>\n

Typically lower values of PSA are considered to be elevated in younger men as they are expected to have much lower values than older men.  So in a 45-year-old man, a PSA of 3.5 would be considered elevated, while in a 75-year-old male, a PSA of 3.5 may not be considered elevated.<\/p>\n

The complicating issue is what we call the PSA velocity<\/strong>, which is a rate of change in PSA over time.  Increased PSA velocity can be associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer.  As a result, the same 75-year-old male with a PSA of 3.5 may be considered at high risk for prostate cancer if his PSA went up from 2.5 to 3.5 over a period of 1 year.<\/p>\n

The biggest challenge when it comes to PSA values is in the range of PSA values under 10.  With PSA values in the range of 10-20, men are increasingly likely to have prostate cancer; men with PSA over 20 are at particularly high risk. Most men with PSA >20 are eventually diagnosed with prostate cancer, often aggressive.<\/p>\n

What is PSA?<\/h2>\n

PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen. It’s a blood test. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a glycoprotein enzyme produced by both prostate epithelial cells and prostate cancer cells and is the most commonly used serum marker for cancer.<\/p>\n

Your doctor will look at your PSA results and must consider your age, your race, family history, medications that you are taking, and many other variables to decide whether your PSA is normal or abnormal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What You Should Know About PSA<\/h2>\n

Some commonly used medications for enlarged prostate, called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, can cause PSA decrease by about 50%.  This does not decrease the risk of prostate cancer, and the number needs to be doubled in men taking these common medications: Proscar<\/strong> (finasteride), Avodart<\/strong> (dutasteride), Jalyn<\/strong> (dutasteride plus tamsulosin). A man taking Proscar for 6 months with a PSA of 5.6 measured after 6 months has a corrected PSA of 10.2.<\/p>\n

PSA levels vary with age. Commonly used normal ranges are as follows:<\/strong><\/h2>\n