prostate-specific antigen
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GC: n

S: MAYO – https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/psa-test/about/pac-20384731 (last access: 12 October 2022); MEDLP – https://medlineplus.gov/lab-tests/prostate-specific-antigen-psa-test/ (last access: 12 October 2022).

N: 1. – prostate (n): “the prostate gland,” 1640s, from French prostate, from Medieval Latin prostata “the prostate,” from Greek prostatēs (adēn) “prostate (gland),” from prostatēs “leader, ruler, guardian; one standing in front,” from proistanai “set before,” from pro “before” (from PIE root *per- (1) “forward,” hence “in front of, before”) + histanai “cause to stand,” from PIE root *sta- “to stand, make or be firm.” So called from its position at the base of the bladder and immediately in front of its mouth. Related: Prostatic.
– specific (adj): 1630s, “having a special quality,” from French spécifique and directly from Late Latin specificus “constituting a kind or sort” (in Medieval Latin “specific, particular”), from Latin species “kind, sort” +  -ficus “making, doing,” from combining form of facere “to make.” Earlier form was specifical (early 15c.). Meaning “definite, precise” first recorded 1740. Related: Specifically; specificness.
– antigen (n): “substance that causes production of an antibody,” 1908, from German Antigen, from French antigène (1899), from “anti(body)” (“substance developed in blood as an antitoxin,” 1901, a hybrid formed from anti- “against” + body; probably a translation of German Antikörper, condensed from a phrase such as anti-toxischer Körper “anti-toxic body” from 1891) + “-gen” (word-forming element technically meaning “something produced,” but mainly, in modern use, “thing that produces or causes,” from French -gène from 18c., from Greek -genes “born of, produced by,” which is from the same source as genos “birth,” genea “race, family,” from PIE root *gene- “give birth, beget,” with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups; first used in late 18th century French chemistry -see oxygen-, it probably involves a misunderstanding of -genes, as though it meant “that which produces”).
. Abbreviations: PSA, SPA.

2. A protein produced by the prostate that may be found in an increased amount in the blood of men who have prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or an infection of the prostate gland.

3. A blood sample is measured in an assay and the amount of PSA is reported as ng/ml [nanograms per milliliter].

4. A blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) may be used to detect prostate tumours in their earliest stages in high-risk individuals. If any of these tests suggest cancer, a biopsy is done to confirm the diagnosis. When caught early, prostate cancer is treatable.

5. A PSA test and digital rectal examination may be performed for men at high risk of prostate cancer. The test is not recommended for healthy men, however, because high PSA levels are not always indicative of prostate cancer.

S: 1. OED – https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=prostate; https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=specific; https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=antigen; https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=antibody; https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=gen (last access: 12 October 2022); TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=PROSTATE-SPECIFIC+ANTIGEN&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 12 October 2022). 2&3. TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=PROSTATE-SPECIFIC+ANTIGEN&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 12 October 2022). 4&5. EncBrit- https://www.britannica.com/science/prostate-specific-antigen (last access: 12 October 2022).

OV: prostate specific antigen

S: TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=PROSTATE-SPECIFIC+ANTIGEN&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 12 October 2022)

SYN: specific prostatic antigen

S: TERMIUM PLUS – https://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-eng.html?lang=eng&i=1&srchtxt=PROSTATE-SPECIFIC+ANTIGEN&index=alt&codom2nd_wet=1#resultrecs (last access: 12 October 2022).

CR: prostate