The big choice.

The article presents information about the test prostate-specific antigen (PSA), for detecting prostate cancer. It is the most common cancer in American men and, among cancers, the second-largest killer of men, after lung cancer. There are several tests for prostate cancer, but there is a blood test for PSA. First applied for screening in the late 1980s, the PSA test is inexpensive, usually costing patients under $50 per test. In essence, it measures the level of a protein produced by the prostate. If the prostate produces a level of PSA above the norm, a prostate enlargement or tumor is very probably the cause. If the PSA test is positive, physicians almost always prescribe follow-up ultrasound or biopsy tests. INSET: Men's group.