PSA velocity

PSA velocity (Carter 1992): the annualized rate of PSA rise between two measurements (ng/mL/yr); above 0.75 ng/mL/yr raises suspicion for cancer.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Earlier PSA
3 ng/mL
Later PSA
4.5 ng/mL
Interval
12 months

Result: PSA velocity +1.5 ng/mL/yr (over 12 months): above 0.75 ng/mL/yr, raising suspicion for cancer.

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Reading
above 0.75 ng/mL/yr raises suspicion for cancer; a lower threshold (~0.35-0.4) applies when baseline PSA is below 4.

What you enter

  • Earlier PSA
  • Later PSA
  • Interval
How this is calculated
Formula
two-point rate = (later PSA - earlier PSA) / interval in years; the validated method averages consecutive yearly rates over >= 3 measurements spanning >= 18 months.

Carter HB, Pearson JD, Metter EJ, et al. Longitudinal evaluation of prostate-specific antigen levels in men with and without prostate disease. JAMA. 1992;267(16):2215-2220. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.