title: Pathology consultation on prostate-specific antigen testing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide clarity on the pros and cons of using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a screening tool for prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case scenarios and a literature review of recently published clinical trial data are presented to provide evidence of the controversy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PSA is a sensitive biomarker for detecting diseases of the prostate, but it is limited in its ability to distinguish cancerous from noncancerous conditions or aggressive from indolent cancers and has resulted in a considerable amount of overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analytical methodology for total PSA testing is both reliable and cost-effective, but patients should be encouraged to talk to their providers to understand the benefits and harms associated with this testing.
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA. jaime.noguez@emory.edu.
authors.forename: Jaime H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Noguez
authors.affiliation: From the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Corinne R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Fantz
mesh_terms: D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen
keywords: Prostate cancer; Prostate-specific antigen; Screening