What marker is commonly used to evaluate prostate health?

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a protein produced by both normal and malignant cells of the prostate gland. It is commonly used as a biomarker in the clinical assessment of prostate health, particularly for the detection and monitoring of prostate cancer. Elevated levels of PSA in the blood can be indicative of prostate conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), prostatitis, and prostate cancer.

The use of PSA testing has become a standard practice for screening and monitoring due to its ability to help differentiate between various prostate conditions, guide biopsy decisions, and track response to treatment. The specificity and sensitivity of PSA, along with its availability as a blood test, make it an invaluable tool in the evaluation of prostate health.

Other choices do not serve this purpose as effectively as PSA. For instance, the carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is more commonly associated with colorectal cancer and is not specific to the prostate. Prostatic demand index is not a recognized standard biomarker in clinical use for evaluating prostate health. Free prostate level refers to a specific measurement related to PSA testing but does not stand alone as a definitive marker for assessing prostate health as the beard of total PSA does.