Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Total
Total PSA measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen in blood. Elevated levels may indicate prostate cancer, benign prostate enlargement, or prostate inflammation. Discuss screening guidelines with your doctor.
12 hours
Turnaround
Blood
Sample
What the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Total test tells you
Prostate-specific antigen is an enzyme made by the glandular tissue of the prostate. Its job is local — it thins semen after ejaculation — but a small fraction always leaks into the circulation, and that is what a total PSA test measures. Because essentially only the prostate produces it in quantity, the blood level acts as a general indicator of how much prostate tissue there is and how disturbed that tissue is.
That last point is the crux of the test. PSA is specific to the prostate but it is not specific to prostate cancer, and a raised result is not a diagnosis of cancer. By far the commonest reason for a raised PSA is benign prostatic hyperplasia, the age-related enlargement that affects a very large proportion of men as they get older. Prostatitis, a urinary tract infection, recent ejaculation, a long cycle ride, a catheter or a recent prostate examination all lift it as well, sometimes considerably and usually for a limited period. A raised result therefore opens an investigation rather than closing one, and it is normally confirmed on a repeat sample before anything is decided. The reverse is also true: an unremarkable PSA does not exclude prostate cancer, because a minority of tumours release little of the enzyme.
Where PSA is unambiguously useful is after a prostate cancer diagnosis, where the trend over time is the standard way of following treatment and detecting recurrence. Its use in men with no symptoms is a genuine trade-off rather than a settled question: testing can find some cancers early enough to matter, and it can also lead to biopsies and treatment for cancers that would never have caused harm in a man's lifetime, with side effects that are real. Neither consideration cancels the other out. Because the balance depends on your age, your health, your family history and how you would want to act on an abnormal result, the decision to test is one to make in conversation with your doctor before the sample is taken rather than after.
Standard prostate cancer screening test for men over 50, or over 40 with a family history. Also used to monitor treatment response in diagnosed prostate cancer.
PSA can reveal prostate cancer before symptoms appear, which is why it is offered to men who have weighed the benefits and drawbacks with their doctor.
In men with a weak stream or waking at night to pass urine, PSA helps sort benign enlargement from something that needs further assessment.
Following treatment for prostate cancer, a rise in PSA is usually the earliest reliable sign that disease has returned.
For low-risk disease being watched rather than treated, serial PSA measurements form part of deciding whether and when to intervene.
Reasons your doctor may request the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Total test
Your doctor may order this test for any of the reasons below. Some are routine checks, others follow specific symptoms or an earlier result.
An informed decision to test
You and your doctor have discussed the pros and cons of prostate testing and decided to proceed.
Urinary symptoms & examination findings
You have urinary symptoms such as hesitancy, a poor stream or frequent night-time waking.
Your prostate felt abnormal on examination.
You have unexplained bone pain that your doctor is investigating.
Family risk & follow-up after treatment
You have a close relative with prostate cancer or another reason to be at higher-than-average risk.
You have been treated for prostate cancer and attend for scheduled follow-up.
No fasting window — pick any slot that suits you, online or on WhatsApp.
A DHA-licensed nurse collects your sample at home or in the office — free home collection.
A physician-reviewed, easy-to-read report lands securely by WhatsApp and email.
Total PSA is used to screen and monitor prostate health.
Ranges are a guide — your physician interprets your result alongside your symptoms and history.
What a higher result can point to
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia, the age-related enlargement that is by far the commonest explanation.
- Prostatitis or a urinary tract infection.
- Prostate cancer.
- Recent ejaculation, vigorous cycling or horse riding.
- Digital rectal examination, prostate massage, catheterisation, cystoscopy or biopsy shortly before the sample.
- Acute urinary retention or another cause of pressure on the gland.
These are possibilities, not diagnoses. A single value outside the reference range is interpreted alongside your symptoms, history and other tests — your doctor decides what it means for you.
What this test cannot tell you
- PSA is specific to the prostate but not to cancer, so most raised results have a benign explanation and none is a diagnosis on its own.
- An unremarkable PSA does not exclude prostate cancer, since some tumours release little of the enzyme.
- Finasteride, dutasteride and testosterone therapy alter PSA measurements and change how a result must be read.
- Whether testing men without symptoms does more good than harm is genuinely contested, and the decision belongs to you and your doctor together.
Risks of the blood draw
- Mild bruising or brief soreness where the needle went in.
- Occasional lightheadedness, which settles after a few minutes of rest.
- Bleeding or infection at the site, which is rare with sterile single-use equipment.
- 1Only the prostate makes PSA in quantity, so the test is organ-specific but not disease-specific.
- 2A raised result is a reason to look further, not a diagnosis of cancer.
- 3Benign enlargement, infection and anything that physically disturbs the prostate can raise the value for days.
- 4A result within the laboratory's usual range does not guarantee the absence of prostate cancer.
- 5Testing when you have no symptoms carries both potential benefit and potential harm, so discuss it with your doctor first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), Total test. Can't find what you're looking for?
Talk to our team→No. Benign enlargement, inflammation and infection account for most raised results. Your doctor will usually confirm the value on a repeat sample, examine the prostate, and only then consider imaging or a biopsy.
It is reassuring but not conclusive. A minority of prostate cancers release little PSA, so persistent symptoms or an abnormal examination are investigated whatever the blood test shows.
Some variation is expected and comes from the assay itself, from minor irritation of the gland and from infection. That is why a single raised value is repeated before anything is decided, and why the trend over years matters more than a jump between two visits.
Because after removal the value should become undetectable, which makes it an unusually sensitive alarm. Any measurable and rising PSA afterwards suggests prostate tissue is still active somewhere, and your oncologist will investigate that.
Total PSA measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen in blood. Elevated levels may indicate prostate cancer, benign prostate enlargement, or prostate inflammation. Discuss screening guidelines with your doctor.
Standard prostate cancer screening test for men over 50, or over 40 with a family history. Also used to monitor treatment response in diagnosed prostate cancer.
No, fasting is not required for the Total PSA test, so you can eat and drink normally beforehand.
The Total PSA test uses a blood sample, collected quickly by our DHA-licensed phlebotomist with minimal discomfort.
Results for the Total PSA test are typically ready within 12 hours. You will receive a secure digital report, and your Smart Report highlights anything outside the normal range.
The Total PSA test is AED 270, which includes free home sample collection and a physician-reviewed report. You can also build a custom panel and pay only for the markers you choose.
Yes. A DHA-licensed phlebotomist can collect your sample at home or the office anywhere in Dubai at no extra cost, 7 days a week. See how it works.
It is commonly chosen by adults & at-risk groups. If you are not sure it is right for you, our care team is happy to advise.
Add the Total PSA test to your cart and complete the short booking wizard, choosing home collection or a lab visit. Guest checkout lets you book without creating an account.
Yes. It is processed at our EIAC-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189:2022) under DHA license 0046381 and verified by board-certified pathologists.
Every report includes reference ranges and plain-language notes. If you have questions, our care team can arrange a clinician review — just get in touch.
Absolutely. Add it to a curated health package or bundle it with any of our 160+ biomarkers, often from a single sample in one visit.