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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / October 2006Results of Blood tests
ok, HERE is a quick run down of all testing for hubby 2001 PSA reading 3.27 Normal ranges for this test at our lab is 0.00-4.00 white male 2003 PSA test reading was 4.23 with no symptoms, but enlarge gland and father who had prostate cancer Had biopsy NO malignancy 7 good specimens and few smaller ones all negative 2004 PSA 4.15 AGE of 59 Had round of antibiotics and restested PSA which was a month later at PSA of 4.21 Had another biopsy done 10 specimens ALL NEGATIVE 2005 PSA 3.79 With a FREE PSA of 13% ANother biopsy done with NO malignacy found 2006 PSA 3.40 With FREE PSA of 12% AGE of 61yrs. Doc gave hubby 3 alternatives. One being do nothing till next year and get another PSA with out a FREE PSA. I questioned why and he said studies have shown that they are now going more with PSA and not the FREE PSA test especially since there has been 3 yrs of NEG biopsy results and no symptoms and neg exam. I even questioned the fact that below 25% usually means there is cancer there somewhere but he managed to tell hubby and myself that he has had over 27 specimens and all were neg and not to worry about that test, as long as the PSA stays below the 6 and or symptoms appear to wait another year then... TWO being to have a urine test where the doc massages the prostate then squeezes the gland and has the patient pee. This specimen is then sent to lab and tested for DNA and cancer cells. IT IS 90% effective in finding cancer.. Three JUST do a biopsy again. Hubby picked number one. Wait a year and doc agreed that was the best since he has no problems and all. this is NOT the usual doc he sees. IT is the one I told him to get for a second opinion and he is young and very much in sinc with prostate problems and does lectures and stuff on it. So hubby feels at ease with this. And this doc will be his doc from now on... NOW when home I asked him "IF" he thought about the urine test and he told me NO not since it was explained so well and he feel confident that this will be fine to wait. BUT no order for the FREE PSA because Doc doesn't feel it is an accurate test to use to measure. Any thoughts on this matter? maybe I dont need to ask?? thanks much I'm no expert, and can't begin to give better or different advice than the doctor gave, but I can tell you something that may help put your mind at ease. A friend of mine had a high PSA. It varied from 6 to 8. He had a biopsy that was completely negative. Some months later he had another biopsy that was negative. They waited another year and he had another biopsy and it was negative. I haven't seen him in a while, but my understanding is that he still does does not appear to have prostate cancer. He was first biopsied at about age 60. So I believe it is quite possible for men to have PSA values outside the normal range without having cancer. In fact, I was told by a urologist that only about 15% of men with a PSA of 6.0 actually have cancer. The high PSA and the low free PSA are frightening, but since biopsies have revealed nothing, and since his PSA is not going up and up, I suspect that you're in the clear for now and waiting a year is not unreasonable. As I'm sure you know, benign prostate hyperplasia and prostatitis are two other common, but not dangerous, causes of elevated PSA. Most prostatitis is apparently not bacterial in origin, so the fact that antibiotics did not bring the PSA way down does not mean that your husband does not have prostatitis. Also, many cases of mild prostatitis (inflammation of prostate tissues) cause no pain at all so the absence of prostate pain also does not prove there is no prostatitis. A PSA test at least every year seems to me highly desirable, but for now, it seems to me that everything is okay. Alan > Hubby picked number one. Wait a year and doc agreed that was the best since > he has no problems and all. > Any thoughts on this matter? One, and a very general one at that. Symptoms, including a positive DRE, tell us one thing: we'd be better off if we had caught it sooner. I wouldn't let lack of symptoms be a factor. I.P. >> Hubby picked number one. Wait a year and doc agreed that was the best >> since he has no problems and all. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > I.P. Just to add. I know it's hard, but go on and live your life, and keep getting tested when the Doc says. With every negative you get renewed for awhile. A friend of mine with an elevated PSA, an enlarged gland, and a family history has been going through twice a year biopsy's for over 10 years. He kind of knew it was a matter of time, but decided to not change his lifestyle. Sadly he was finally diagnosed with PCa. In the past 10 years he fished, sailed, traveled, worked, retired, and had a good life. Try not to dwell on it and make yourself miserable. What will be will be.  SignatureJK Sinrod www.SinrodStudios.com www.MyConeyIslandMemories.com > Just to add. I know it's hard, but go on and live your life, and keep > getting tested when the Doc says. With every negative you get renewed for [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > he fished, sailed, traveled, worked, retired, and had a good life. Try not > to dwell on it and make yourself miserable. What will be will be. You mean your friend has gotten over 20 biopsies? Wow! I hope he's still okay and still fishing etc etc. YES my friend is still fishing !!! and he is also my hubby, lover, friend and cofident... All works are still a "GO" and doing it quite well I might add thanks > YES my friend is still fishing !!! and he is also my hubby, lover, > friend [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > thanks He was talking about my friend. Yes over 20 biopsies. SignatureJK Sinrod www.SinrodStudios.com www.MyConeyIslandMemories.com > ok, > HERE is a quick run down of all testing for hubby [quoted text clipped - 51 lines] > maybe I dont need to ask?? > thanks much I would go with one of his urolgists's recommendations. The only other option would be to try a more sophisticated kind of guided biopsy which could look for the cancer in places in the prostate not usually sampled. the term Doppler guided ultrasound comes to mind. Perhaps he could ask his urologist about that. > Doc gave hubby 3 alternatives. > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > the PSA stays below the 6 and or symptoms appear to wait another year > then... [snip] > Hubby picked number one. Wait a year and doc agreed that was the best > since he has no problems and all. I'm with hubby here. PSA is stable; countless (too many) negative biopsies, and no DRE irregularties. He needs a break from unnecessary biopsies, and their risks - not to mention the stress of waiting for the pathologist reading. |
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