prostate-specific antigen

noun

pros·​tate-spe·​cif·​ic antigen

: a protease secreted by epithelial cells of the prostate gland that is used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer since its concentration in blood serum tends to be proportional to the clinical stage of the disease

—abbreviation PSA

Examples of prostate-specific antigen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Many prostate cancers in the U.S. are detected with a blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen (PSA). —Sarah Fortinsky, The Hill, 21 May 2025

The study showed that a spit test can identify prostate cancer more accurately than prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, which have come under scrutiny for their tendency to produce unreliable results. —Jack Knudson, Discover Magazine, 14 May 2025

The introduction of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test as a prostate cancer screening test (early detection) in the early 1990s led to a dramatic 50% decline in prostate cancer deaths. —Franklin D Gaylis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025

Has Joe Biden ever had a prostate-specific antigen or PSA test? —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 27 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1979, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for prostate-specific antigen

• trigone

Medical Definition

prostate-specific antigen

noun

: a protease that is secreted by the epithelial cells of the prostate and is used in the diagnosis of prostate cancer since its concentration in the blood serum tends to be proportional to the clinical stage of the disease

—abbreviation PSA