The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment
The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment
Choose one of the following, PSA, Mammogram, or BMI
The Assignment
Assignment (3–4 pages, not including title and reference pages):
Assignment Option 1: Adult Assessment Tools or Diagnostic Tests:
Include the following:
• A description of how the assessment tool or diagnostic test you were assigned is used in healthcare.
ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE
o What is its purpose?
o How is it conducted?
o What information does it gather?
• Based on your research, evaluate the test or the tool’s validity and reliability, and explain any issues with sensitivity, reliability, and predictive values. Include references in appropriate APA formatting The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment.
PSA stands for prostate-specific antigen, which is a glycoproteinous particle made up of particular amino acids found in the male prostate gland. There is some quantity that is generally detectable in the body of a healthy individual and can be determined in a laboratory. This level of PSA is normal and implies that there is no underlying disease. This is not the situation, though, when PSA levels in the blood are high, since this would signal that a disease is ongoing. The existence of a malignant tumor in the tissue of the prostate typically causes an increase in PSA levels in the blood (Hammer & McPhee, 2018; Huether & McCance, 2017). This is what justifies employing serum PSA levels in the lab as an initial diagnostic tool for diagnosing prostate cancer in older men. PSA readings are commonly increased in males over the age of 50, as this is when prostate hypertrophy turns troublesome and pathologic. Elevated values are generally detected in men who have benign prostatic enlargement, prostate cancer, or just prostate inflammation caused by an infection (Geisinger Medical Center) (2022)The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment. The purpose of this paper is to examine the test that is prostate-specific antigen or PSA test and what it entails including its suitability and reliability.
How the Prostate-Specific Antigen or PSA is Used in Healthcare
Prostate cancer and benign prostatic enlargement or BPH are typically detected with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. This is a secondary prevention technique that is critical in preventive healthcare for males, particularly those over the age of 50. The procedure of examining persons who are otherwise asymptomatic and have no signs or symptoms of disease is known as screening. Detecting an underlying disease in its early stages and intervening before it becomes difficult to treat is usually the goal. This procedure has always been effective, especially in the treatment of cancer, which is often detected before symptoms occur (Hammer & McPhee, 2018; Huether & McCance, 2017)The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment. With cancer, detection before manifestation has a bearing on management.
The PSA values in the blood increase when the prostate has carcinogenic development, as previously stated. Nonetheless, there’s a rationale why reading a higher PSA result necessitates a lot of thought and attention. PSA is also generated by non-malignant parenchymal cells in the prostate, which explains why. Ejaculation, prostatitis or prostate infection, and benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) all cause an increase in prostate-specific antigen levels (Hammer & McPhee, 2018; Huether & McCance, 2017)The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment. This has made determining which positive test results for prostate cancer are legitimate and which are false reports difficult for clinicians.
Approximately 12% of men have a PSA test result of 4 ng/ mL, demonstrating the issue of false-positive results with this test. Despite the fact that only three out of ten of these gentlemen had cancer based on a biopsy, this is the case. It has been discovered that when the abnormal PSA cut-off level is set at 4 ng/ mL, this test can discover 21% of prostate cancers according to Bickley (2017). Because of the equivocal nature of this test, there is ongoing controversy regarding whether it should be used to assess men for prostate cancer. The question is whether the advantages of using this test for prostate cancer screening outweigh the risks. These risks, according to Ball et al. (2019)The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment, include overdiagnosis, invasive treatments including biopsy, and false positive results.
The Purpose of the PSA Laboratory Test
In men above the age of 50 years, the prostate-specific antigen test is used to check for prostate cancer. This is a component of many secondary prevention initiatives in various healthcare initiatives in the United States and around the world. Further tests may be done after a positive result to identify whether the individual has prostate cancer or otherwise. One of these procedures is a biopsy of the prostatic tissues for histology and histopathology. However, the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against utilizing the PSA for prostate cancer screening (Ball et al., 2019)The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment. This is owing to the fact that, as aforementioned, there is controversy about the test’s trustworthiness and the accuracy of its results.
How the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) is Performed
The Geisinger Medical Center (2018) states that the PSA test is a test that involves a specimen of the patient’s venous blood that is drawn to be tested. This is generally accomplished in one of the forearm’s superficial veins such as the median cubital vein. The specimen is then transported to a laboratory for testing. Generally, 2 mL of blood is usually enough for the test, with 0.5 mL being the absolute minimum. After that, the sample of blood is permitted to clot in the laboratory before being spun for a minimum of 10 minutes at 1100-2000 of the centrifuge. After then, the defined protocols are put to the test. The precise word for the complete testing technique is electrochemiluminescence. The resulting outcome value is then compared to known typical values for the patient’s age and condition. Men’s reference values, according to the Geisinger Medical Center (2018)The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment, are as follows: up to 40 years < 1.4 ng/ mL, 40-50 years old < 2.0 ng/ mL, 50-60 years old < 3.1 ng/ mL, and ≥ 60 years old < 4.1 ng/ mL.
The Type of Information that the PSA Test Gathers
The PSA test gathers the most important information about the existence or absence of cancer in the epithelial cells of the patient’s prostate. PSA levels rise and fall in accordance with the patient’s circadian rhythm, or the time of day. To some extent, the variation is influenced by the man’s sexual activities. The importance of the information obtained from the screening is that it allows for early identification and treatment, which may include surgery. Timely identification and management, according to Ball et al. (2019) and Bickley (2017), can be the distinction between being entirely cured and being unable to remove the cancer.
The Sensitivity of the Test, Its Reliability, and Validity
The validity of the results of this test, as described in the preceding debate, is debatable. This is a conclusion based on several confirmations of false positive tests in men who later turned out to be free of prostate cancer. As a result, the PSA test’s reliability as a useful tool in prostate cancer screening cannot be guaranteed. Bickley (2017) has stated that all of the above is due to one fact. It is that the PSA’s sensitivity in detecting prostate cancer is just 21%. The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment
Conclusion
PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a widely used screening diagnostic for prostate cancer in older men all over the world. Nevertheless, in the medical world, its use has always been plagued with controversy. This is mainly due to low dependability and questionable correctness, as evidenced by the frequent false positive findings it generates. Regardless of the fact that some guidelines (such as those issued by the USPSTF) warn against its use in prostate cancer screening, it is nonetheless used. The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment
ORDER NOW
References
Ball, J., Dains, J.E., Flynn, J.A., Solomon, B.S., & Stewart, R.W. (2019). Seidel’s guide to physical examination: An interprofessional approach, 9th ed. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Bickley, L.S. (2017). Bates’ guide to physical examination and history taking, 12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Geisinger Medical Center (2022). PSA. https://www.geisingermedicallabs.com/catalog/details.cfm?tid=1194#:~:text=Specimen%20required%3A,or%20plasma%3B%20minimum%200.5%20mL.
Hammer, D.G., & McPhee, S.J. (Eds). (2018). Pathophysiology of disease: An introduction to clinical medicine, 8th ed. McGraw-Hill Education.
Huether, S.E. & McCance, K.L. (2017). Understanding pathophysiology, 6th ed. Elsevier, Inc. The Prostate-Specific Antigen Test Assignment