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A range of information

Soar provides automated support of your differential diagnosis of prostateA donut-shaped gland the size and shape of a walnut that surrounds the upper portion of the male urethra. Its main function is to produce part of the fluid that makes up semen. conditions using all available information.  Best practices supported by Soar start with calibrated tests and include:

  • Frequent PSA testing when progressing cancerCancer that is progressing at a fast rate and is life-threatening. is suspected, which can reduce the volatility of patients’ test results and help identify inconsistent test results caused by temporary conditions such as inflammationThe reaction of a part of the body to injury or infection, characterized by swelling, heat, redness, and pain. The process includes increased blood flow with an influx of white blood cells and other chemical substances that facilitate healing., infection and irritation of the prostate.
  • Use of Free PSAA protein produced by the prostate that circulates freely in the blood, in contrast to PSA, which is bound to blood proteins. Taken together, both PSA and Free PSA measurements give a more accurate picture of a patient’s risk for prostate cancer than PSA alone. (a subset of PSA measured by a low-cost blood test conducted along with a PSA test) to determine the ratio of Free PSA to PSA to help distinguish progressing cancer (which tends to have a low ratio), from an enlarged prostate due to BPH and inflammation (which tend to have higher ratios).
  • Use of PSA velocityThe rate at which the PSA level rises. (the annual rate of change in a PSA trendThe trend of PSA levels over time.) to help distinguish progressing cancer (which eventually reaches a high PSA velocity) from volume growth (which tends to be slow), and from prostatitisProstatitis is an inflammation or infection of the prostate common for men under the age of 50. It can be a temporary (acute) or long-lasting (chronic) condition. Symptoms include urinary frequency, burning or painful urination, lower-back pain or pain in the genital area, and a decreased desire for sex. Sometimes it is caused by a bacterial infection, but in the great majority of the cases the cause is not understood. (which tends to cause PSA to fluctuate in ways measured by Soar).
  • Use of Free PSA velocity (the annual rate of change in a Free PSA trend) to help distinguish progressing cancer (which tends to have a very low ratio to PSAV) from volume growth and inflammation (which tend to have a high ratio to PSAV).
  • Treatment of the prostate with antibiotics and anti-inflammatory meds (e.g. aspirin) to reduce any increase in PSA caused by prostate infection and/or inflammation, followed by another pair of PSA and Free PSA tests.  Optionally, a culture and white blood cell countA laboratory test to determine the presence of an infection or leukemia or to help monitor the body’s response to various treatments and to monitor bone marrow function. of prostate secretions can be added to help identify prostate infection and/or inflammation.
  • Use of a low cost ultrasound measurement of prostate volume, which helps assess the contribution of BPH to an elevated PSA.  Soar uses a volume measurementThe determination of the size of the prostate. Volume measurements often involve imaging the prostate using ultrasound or MRI technology (“prostate image”). The second step involves having a specialist carefully study this image to estimate the prostate’s size (“volume measurement”). Some physicians are also trained to estimate a prostate's volume via digital rectal exam (DRE). in a more sophisticated way than a simple calculation of PSA densityThe PSA level divided by the size of the prostate. This allows the doctor to better distinguish between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer by taking prostate size into account when assessing the PSA level..