I'm PSA, Prostate Specific Antigen

Protein from the cells of the prostate gland

Circulate freely in blood

Checked once a year in elderly

Higher the man's PSA

More likely cancer present in the prostate

Acclaimed as the best tumor marker

Prevailed at the top of the ladder for four decades

Healthy men should no longer receive PSA

U.S. Preventive Service Task Force recommendation

PSA doesn't save lives

Leads to unnecessary more tests

Added morbidity, pain

Impotence, incontinence, Low quality of life

To name a few I was blamed for

317 thousand new cases diagnosed yearly

Prostate cancer claims 41 thousand deaths

Since I hit the horizon

More diagnosed early

And the cancer is treatable

Assure cure in most

Before I was born, most diagnosed late

Caused the lives of many

Don't draw a Biblical Line

PSA helps men more at risk

Young men with long life expectancy

African Americans

Men with family history, and

Those with rapidly raising PSA

Should thank PSA

Leading their lives in right direction.

-S.D. Madduri, MD

NorthWest Clinic, Poplar Bluff, MO