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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / May 2007PSA = 37.0
From looking at the other threads, it appears my reading is really high. I went to the doctors with a bad cough about a month ago. He ordered a physical a few days later. My first PSA was 31.3. I went to a Urologist two weeks later and got another blood test. The results came back yesterday at 37. 0. He is doing a biopsy in eight days. Should I push for a quicker biopsy since my PSA seems to be rising quickly and, from all that I read, is already very high? I'm 62. Thanks, >From looking at the other threads, it appears my reading is really high. I >went to the doctors with a bad cough about a month ago. He ordered a [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >Thanks, I hear your concern, and you have good reason to be. Asking for the biopsy to be done more quickly certainly wouldn't hurt. But, based on my experience, getting it scheduled for 8 days in the future isn't too bad. The urologists I've seen always seem to have pretty full calendars. Based on the information you provided, I wouldn't be surprised if your doctor didn't request his staff to schedule your biopsy "as soon as possible" anyway. All of us participating in this group have been is a situation similar to yours at one time or another. The waiting for one procedure or another to be done is NOT easy. Keep us posted on your progress. I wish you the best! Burney > I hear your concern, and you have good reason to be. Asking for the >biopsy to be done more quickly certainly wouldn't hurt. But, based on [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > >Burney Burney, thanks. My wife is a nurse and talked me out of pushing on the doctor. She agrees with you that eight days is pretty good. > From looking at the other threads, it appears my reading is really high. I > went to the doctors with a bad cough about a month ago. He ordered a > physical a few days later. My first PSA was 31.3. I went to a Urologist two > weeks later and got another blood test. The results came back yesterday at 37. > 0. He is doing a biopsy in eight days. The PSA, while excessive, is not unusually high. There are many in the hundreds, even some in the thousands. Were the two PSA tests performed by the same labs with the same test protocols? Results from different protocols are not interchangeable. What other tests were performed? DRE (digital rectal examination)? If so, what result? Free PSA percentage (fPSA%)? If so, what result? > Should I push for a quicker biopsy since my PSA seems to be rising quickly > and, from all that I read, is already very high? I doubt that eight days would be critical. But ask the medic. Here is a website that will provide authoritative and unbiased information: http://prostate-cancer.org/index.html It is the Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI). Go to the section "Undiagnosed" at: http://prostate-cancer.org/education/education.html#undiagnosed or http://tinyurl.com/2kyj9t Regards, Steve J "We must tailor the treatment to the nature of the disease. We must listen to the biology." -- Stephen B. Strum, MD "The PSA, while excessive, is not unusually high. There are many in the hundreds, even some in the thousands." Steve, I'm going to have to disagree w/ you a bit here. In this day and age in the PSA era it is quite unusual for a man to present w/ a PSA over 30. Obviously this was his first, and at 62 he should have been having them for years - looks like his GP dropped the ball. PCa is considered slow-growing compared to other cancers, and that suggests that, w/ a PSA of 30+, he has had it for maybe even 5 years. I think I have some license to say this because I too did not have PSAs done, and my first-ever was 30. I post this not to alarm anyone but to stress the all of us upon Dx need to go to all our male friends and insist that they get PSAs. Bill Denton RP 2/12/02 PSA 1.6 Memphis > "The PSA, while excessive, is not unusually high. There are many in > the hundreds, even some in the thousands." [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > is considered slow-growing compared to other cancers, and that > suggests that, w/ a PSA of 30+, he has had it for maybe even 5 years. My uro onc told me mine probably began a decade before my ED showed, which was a decade before my Gleason 8 PC hit a 4.0 PSA. But when my uro tech mentioned PSAs in the hundreds or thousands, it was with a look of doom on his face. I.P. >Steve, I'm going to have to disagree w/ you a bit here. In this day >and age in the PSA era it is quite unusual for a man to present w/ a [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >PSA 1.6 >Memphis Bill, Steve, Everyone, Thanks for your responses. I've been to my GP every year for the past five years for one thing or another and was unaware of what a PSA test was. I thought I was covered, but knew in the back of my mind that I wasn't getting rectal exams so I should have concluded that the other test wasn't going on either. My last PSA test was four years ago and it was 2.6. My rectal exam by my GP last month and by the Urologist last week was good. They didn't find anything. My big worry is how it jumped six points in a month. That has my wife concerned as well. She went yesterday and tried to get the appointment moved up but was unsuccessful. Thanks everyone for your input and advice. > From looking at the other threads, it appears my reading is really high. I > went to the doctors with a bad cough about a month ago. He ordered a [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Thanks, If you do have prostate cancer, it is a very slow growing cancer. Nothing is going to change over an eight day period. You are very lucky to get in that quick. My initial appointment with a urologist was six weeds after my PSA test, as that was his first opening. You will do fine, and while your PSA is really high, only time will tell what is causing it. Keep the group posted. DP DP: How do you know it is slow-growing? Mel >> From looking at the other threads, it appears my reading is really high. >> I [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > DP It is a commonly accepted fact that as cancers go, prostate is a very slow grower. Thus the fact that many older men die with the cancer, not from it. Eight days is certainly nothing in the scope of things. Dale P > DP: > > How do you know it is slow-growing? We cannot be absolutely certain, of course, but the faster-growing small-cell prostate cancer is extremely rare. Moreover, I do not think that small-cell PCa causes such a rise in the PSA. --charlie >You are very lucky to get in > that quick. My initial appointment with a urologist was six weeks after my > PSA test, as that was his first opening. That was my experience, too, until I phoned the uro's office and explained that I had a Gleason 8 biopsy, had studied up on PC, and was ready to talk serious turkey. The doc called me within a day or two, we talked for maybe an hour, and he wedged me into his schedule within a week or so. Knowledge is power. I.P. > From looking at the other threads, it appears my reading is really high. I > went to the doctors with a bad cough about a month ago. He ordered a [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > Thanks, We tend to express rises in "doubling time." Your doubling time is about 4.6 months. Not good, but eight days isn't going to kill you. I'm afraid we'll soon be welcoming you to the club no one wants to join. But, take heart. Of the 750 people I've met on this newsgroup, 47 had an initial PSA higher than yours and, so far as I know, 43 are still converting oxygen and carbon dioxide.  SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years Casodex added daily 07/06 PSA <0.04, <0.05 Non Illegitimi Carborundum > From looking at the other threads, it appears my reading is really high. I began my fight with the beast with a psa of 55 at age 55, and I am now 62, retired, and enjoying every bit of my time here on earth that I can. With current technology, the beast will win this war eventually, directly or indirectly, but like Steve says, we are still converting oxygen and carbon dioxide. There are a lot of us in this boat together, so as scary as this all is to you right now, take heart. You have already discovered that you cannot rely on your doctors to know it all and to keep you out of trouble, so getting yourself educated is job one now. If you have really good luck, and do not have cancer now, I'm sure that it will never have an opportunity to sneak up on you in the future. Best of luck to you. Got my biopsy yesterday. The doctor took his first twelve samples and said that there was one area of concern so he took the thirteenth. They get the results back next Tuesday. |
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