Specimen Requirements

Preferred Container/Tube: Mint green-top lithium heparin

Acceptable:  Gold-top serum gel tube or plain, red-top tube, lavender-top EDTA
Specimen: 0.5 mL, minimum volume 0.1 mL of serum

Stability:  24 hours at room temperature.  Store and transport refrigerated for 5 days.  Stable 6 months if frozen.

Collection Instructions: Specimen for PSA testing should be drawn prior to such prostatic manipulations as digital rectal exam (DRE), prostatic massage, transrectal ultrasound, and prostatic biopsy.

Note: 1. DRE may cause a transient increase in serum PSA levels. A repeat PSA measurement in the case of borderline elevation has been recommended. Transrectal needle biopsy has also been shown to cause persisting PSA elevations, thus a 6 week waiting period between needle biopsy and PSA sampling has been recommended.

2. Human anti-mouse antibodies or other heterophile antibodies may be present in patient specimens. This assay has been specially formulated to minimize the effects of these antibodies, however results from patients known to have these antibodies should be carefully evaluated.