Baseline PSA

By checking a man's blood on a regular basis through a PSA test, and monitoring the rise in the level of PSA, prostate cancer can be predicted years before it could be diagnosed by other screening methods.

Regular screening is the best way to catch prostate cancer early. Since symptoms usually aren't present until the cancer is outside of the gland, monitoring the early rise in your PSA is imperative.

How often is enough? It is important to maintain a record of the movement of your PSA results over time. This is true for men post-treatment as well as for those who have never been diagnosed. Although all increases in PSA don't indicate cancer, continuous increases over time (i.e. a couple of years) indicates the need for further discussions with your physician.