acalculator

What is my PSA density?

Enter the serum PSA and the prostate volume from an ultrasound or MRI report to get the PSA density and see how it compares with 0.15. For information only. This is not medical advice or a diagnosis. Do not use it to make treatment decisions without a clinician. No licensed clinician has reviewed this page.

Your numbers

PSA density (ng/mL per mL)
0.15

The PSA density is 0.15 ng/mL per mL: 0.15 or more.

0.15 or more

  1. Under 0.15
  2. 0.15 or more
Against the 0.15 cut-off
0.15 or more

PSA density (ng/mL per mL): 0.15. The PSA density is 0.15 ng/mL per mL: 0.15 or more.

Where does the PSA density sit?

This calculator gives general information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace a doctor or other health care provider. Talk with a professional about your results. Terms of use

How to calculate

Divides the serum PSA by the prostate volume to give the PSA density (PSAD) in ng/mL per mL, and compares it with the published 0.15 cut-off.

Example with the default inputs (PSA (ng/mL) 6, Prostate volume (mL) 40): The PSA density is 0.15 ng/mL per mL: 0.15 or more.

Method: PSA density = serum PSA (ng/mL) ÷ prostate volume (mL), to 2 decimals. Cut-off 0.15 (Bazinet 1994).

  • The prostate volume comes from transrectal ultrasound or MRI, in mL (cc).
  • The density is rounded once to 2 decimals, halves up, and the shown value is compared with 0.15.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. PSA (ng/mL) 6, Prostate volume (mL) 40 gives PSA density (ng/mL per mL) 0.15, Against the 0.15 cut-off 0.15 or more.Source: Benson 1992: 6 ÷ 40 = 0.15, at the 0.15 cut-off (Bazinet 1994)
  2. PSA (ng/mL) 8, Prostate volume (mL) 80 gives PSA density (ng/mL per mL) 0.1, Against the 0.15 cut-off Under 0.15.
  3. PSA (ng/mL) 5.2, Prostate volume (mL) 35 gives PSA density (ng/mL per mL) 0.15, Against the 0.15 cut-off 0.15 or more.
  4. PSA (ng/mL) 4.9, Prostate volume (mL) 35 gives PSA density (ng/mL per mL) 0.14, Against the 0.15 cut-off Under 0.15.

Medical disclaimer

This calculator is for information and education only. It is not medical advice, and its result is not a diagnosis. Do not use it to start, stop, or change a treatment without a clinician who knows your health history. No licensed clinician has reviewed this page. This site's editors checked the formulas and worked examples against published sources. If you think you have a medical emergency, call your local emergency number.

When this does not apply. The 0.15 cut-off comes from 565 men referred for urinary symptoms, a suspicious rectal exam, or a raised PSA; the cut-off applies to those with a PSA of 4.1 to 10 ng/mL and no suspicious finding on the rectal exam or ultrasound (Bazinet 1994). For a PSA above 14 ng/mL, the same study found 0.3 a better cut-off.

How it works

  1. PSA density = serum PSA (ng/mL) ÷ prostate volume (mL). 1 mL is 1 cc.
  2. The page divides the exact typed values and rounds once to 2 decimals, halves up.
  3. The shown density is compared with 0.15 (Bazinet 1994): under 0.15, or 0.15 or more.

PSA is typed from 0.01 to 1,000 ng/mL and the volume from 5 to 500 mL.

Worked examples by hand

Page default. PSA 6 ng/mL, volume 40 mL. 6 ÷ 40 = 0.15, 0.15 or more.

Large gland. PSA 8, volume 80. 8 ÷ 80 = 0.10, under 0.15.

Rounding at the cut-off. PSA 5.2, volume 35. 5.2 ÷ 35 = 0.14857, shown as 0.15, 0.15 or more.

Just under. PSA 4.9, volume 35. 4.9 ÷ 35 = 0.14, under 0.15.

Other questions people ask

How is PSA density calculated?

Divide the serum PSA in ng/mL by the prostate volume in mL (cc). A PSA of 6 ng/mL with a 40 mL prostate gives 6 ÷ 40 = 0.15.

What is a normal PSA density?

There is no single normal value. Bazinet et al. (1994) found 0.15 the best cut-off in men with a PSA of 4.1 to 10 ng/mL and a normal rectal exam and ultrasound; below it, few cancers were missed.

Why divide PSA by prostate size?

A larger prostate makes more PSA even without cancer. Benson et al. (1992) proposed PSA density to help tell benign enlargement (BPH) from cancer: in their study the mean density was 0.044 with BPH and 0.581 with cancer.

Where do I find my prostate volume?

It is in a transrectal ultrasound or prostate MRI report, in mL or cc (the same unit). The prostate volume calculator works it out from the three measured lengths.

Does a PSA density over 0.15 mean cancer?

No. It is one risk marker. Many men with a density over 0.15 do not have cancer, and some with a lower density do. A urologist reads it with the PSA, the exam, and imaging.