PSA testing should not be used as routine screening in younger men without a clinical indication.
For men at average risk, PSA testing should generally be considered from age 50, following discussion of the potential benefits and limitations of testing.
Earlier testing may be appropriate from age 45 for men at increased risk, including those with:
A significant family history of prostate cancer
A Black ethnic background
Relevant inherited genetic risk, such as a BRCA2 mutation
PSA testing in men under 40 should generally only be undertaken where there is a specific clinical indication or specialist recommendation.
There is no absolute minimum age for PSA testing where there is a genuine clinical indication. However, PSA should not be offered routinely to asymptomatic adolescents or young adults as a general health or cancer-screening test.
Where PSA testing is requested in a patient under 40, the clinical indication should be documented and the result interpreted in the appropriate clinical context.