Posted , 8 users are following.
Any opinions?. I'm 59. Every year PSA was between .6 and .9 until May
5/2016-PSA .9
5/2017-PSA 2.3
6/2017-PSA 1.7
8/1/2017-PSA 3.9
8/17/2017-3TMRI Pi Rads 3
8/25/2017-4KScore(PSA 1.8--96% Neg)
8/29/2017-normal DRE
1/31/2018-PSA 2.4
1 like, 18 replies
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Davey22 heymunch
Posted
Don't worry about a thing. You're good to go. Check it again next year.
rich22 heymunch
Posted
barney34567 heymunch
Posted
1. Did you have the PSA tests all conducted by the same lab? This is a must, otherwise the results may b meaningless as every lab has its own yardstick.
2. The rule of thumb is that if a PSA doubles in under 12 mths then you must considere PCa.
3. Diagnostically speaking, DRE is an "optional extra". It doesn't carry value when compared to PSA and MRI
4. Your PSA may have fallen between 5/17 and 6/17 if you were on antibiotics, and when you stopped taking antibiotics the PSA may have climbed if any infection was was eradicated.
5. Was the PIRADS 3 determination made by a radiologist that specialises in prostate imaging or was he/she a generalist radiologist? It is vital to have images reported on by a specialist in prostate imaging.
heymunch
Posted
1. Only the 4kScore was a different lab.
2. In the last nine months the PSA is exactly the same. It doubled from 2016-2017, but according to MSK and 4K score, the actual PSA value is what matters.
3. Yes DRE is extra, but it's still good to have a "normal one".
4. I have not taken antibiotics for years.
5. Pi Rads 3 was from specialist at MSK.
I guess my concern is why was my PSA under 1 for years and years and now it is consistently around 2.4? Sometimes I get anxiety that I might have advanced prostate cancer. Is that crazy thinking?
Thanks for feedback.
rich22 heymunch
Posted
i'm no expert but my understanding is that PSA doubling issue is only post-RP or RT. otherwise, PSA swings like kid at the playground. as long as it stays under 4, i wouldn't worry. advanced PCa normally sends PSA through the roof. while it's spreading within the gland, goes betw. 10-20. when it bursts through the capsule, it can climb past 80. metastases in lymph, bone, other organs etc. can send it past 800. mine vacillates betw. 16-17 right now, with 2 lesions and "suspicious" iliac lymph nodes enlarged. PIRADS, Diff/adc, perfusion and T2 are all 5. look in the dictionary under anxiety, you'll see my picture.
glamour heymunch
Posted
I understand that most blokes have varying PSA. Your PSA can increase dramatically if you have an infection. At least that is what I have been told.
The importance of the PSA measurement is its rate of increase. If it gets above 4.0 and stays above 4.0 or increases you should have some further examination. What you must avoid is the cancer progressing to other organs or your pelvic girdle bone structure. If the cancer can be imprisoned in the prostate, it can be treated very successfully.
In you case, your PSA looks okay to me. I would have it checked every 4 months.
cheers
G
rich22 glamour
Posted
spot on. additionally, our miraculous immune systems regularly imprison cancer within whatever organ it strikes, gathering the various white blood cell troops to surround whatever invader doesn't belong there. then they eat it up, die a noble death and the kidneys and liver flush them out. i love my leukocytes: Granulocytes (includes Neutrophils, Eosinophils and Basophils) and Agranulocytes (includes Lymphocytes and Monocytes). good chart here, of all the stages of blood cell creation, hemopoiesis (scroll down a little) [b]http://encyclopedia.lubopitko-bg.com/Hemostasis[b].html
barney34567 glamour
Posted
Your mention of 4.0 is old school.
That figure was plucked out of thin air by some medico.
A good indicator of PCa is the doubling in a year or so.
Mine doubled in 8 months, from an initial reading of 1.
My GP dismissed it as "too low to worry about".
I dismissed her and got a MRI.
Guess what? Gleason 9
heymunch barney34567
Posted
barney34567 heymunch
Posted
My PIRADS pr-biopsy was 4
david41094 heymunch
Posted
rich22 david41094
Posted
as it turns out, PCa cells are very frequently in healthy prostate glands all the time but they're "indolent"
david41094 rich22
Posted
Post mortems from other causes of death reveal very high cancer rates - it's just that the immune system routinely destroys them and the person knows nothing about it.
rich22 david41094
Posted
yep - God bless our miraculous immune systems! that's why i don't reject all the new age alternative medicine information - they're great for learning how to strengthen the immune system. but holy hannah! can't stand it when an naturopath or nutritpath or homeopath or holisitic or whatever comes at me and tells me 2 tablespoons of vinegar and turmeric every day will kill my advanced cancer!... cheez whiz! gimme a break.
barney34567 david41094
Posted
The difficulty is not to determine if you (or anyone) has PCa, but whether it's indolent or aggressive.