prostate cancer psa

prostate cancer psa questions and answers

All the information you need about prostate cancer psa Check out CheckTheProstate.com For all your Prostate Cancer Questions & Answers

Q: does having a high psa prostate reading mean you have prostate cancer?
the first test psa test i took come back 6.3. and i was tested two week later and this time the results was 4.9. and my doctor is sending me to see and urgolist does this mean i have prostate cancer?

A: Probably not. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer this past December. My doc suspected it from my PSA acceleration - my PSA jumped from 1.5 to a 2.3. A retest 5 months later showed a minor increase to a 2.4. From what I have learned, the PSA continues to escalate with cancer, not decrease. You may just have an infection. The urologist scheduled the biospy which is not a big deal at all - it fills part of a day, has little discomfort, and removes all the question marks. Due to my age (56), I opted for surgery and had the DiVInce robot about 7 weeks ago. I'm almost fully recovered and functional (viva Viagara). I know what you're going through, my friend. Good luck! Edit: Adding on to Saphire comments - I took Saw Palmetto for over 20 years, and firmly believe it works. Other than the cancer, which comes from different causes, I had a healthy prostate - I had no symptoms. If you do have just an enlarged prostate, start Saw Palmetto and Ginko, both good for this sort of thig.

Q: Prostate Cancer -- PSA Relapse -- Help Defining?
I want to know the definition of "PSA relapse". I"m reading through mulitple clinical studies on PSA doubling times (PSA-DT) and their relationship to overall survival, etc. All reference and use this term, but none define it. Is it simply that point at which PSAs start to rise, after having reaching the nadir? My husband has advanced, metastatic prostate cancer and is on hormone therapy. His PSAs have started to rise. As close as I can tell (from calculators on the web), his PSADT is ~65 days, and had a "nadir" of 0.2. All of the articles talk about survivial at the point of "PSA relapse". What is it and, more importantly, has he reached that? Please only answer if you know what you're talking about... Thanks in advance.

A: A PSA relapse is when a man’s PSA begins to rise after a period of being stable not necessarily nadir. When a man undergoes hormone therapy his PSA is often not a true reading for up to a few months afterward and during this time it may rise to a point where it stables out. You should also know a relapse is not based on a single PSA alone. Hope this helps. Best wishes to you both.

Q: Male, 53.Prostate is enlarged.PSA is 1.75. Get blood in the semen. Doctor rules out prostate cancer. Why this?
I am 53. Since Oct 2004, I am getting blood in the semen. My prostate is enlarged. Not abnormal. DRE and Sonography do not suggest prostate cancer. PSA is 1.75. I was affected by some form of STD when I was 22. VDRL was1 in 10. Treated with penadur LA6. Why blood in semen? I am not diabetic nor do I suffer from Hypertension. Please advise me.

A: The fact that you have blood in your semen and you do not have an active infection can be a sign of prostate cancer. You can still have prostate cancer even if your PSA is low. DRE and U/S are insensitive and ultimately the gold standard is biopsy.

Q: Prostate Cancer PSA Level of 1945?
My dad has a PSA level of 1945. Doctors consider a PSA level of 5 to be bad. What does it mean that my dad has a PSA level of 1945?

A: I had a PSA of 5.4 when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. That is a high PSA. Had he done PSA tests before? I am sure he will be asked to get a biopsy soon. That is the only way to know if he has cancer. How old is your dad?

Q: removed prostate cancer, rising psa levels?
my dad is 70 had his prostate removed around 3 years ago. he's been fine ever since, but recently he had a blood test that showed chnages in his psa levels? what does this mean. has the cancer spread through the body or still where the prostate used to be

A: If your father had his prostate removed they removed the whole thing. A rising PSA is an indication of disease progression, but this does not mean it has spread through the body. It is not unusual for a PSA to start rising years before metastatic disease is evident and it is not likely any other tests will be run at this point. Hormone therapy should keep it manageable for years to come. Typically prostate cancer is slow growing and many patients live 15-20 years with the disease.

Q: If a man has a PSA level of 10, does that mean he definitely has prostate cancer?
MY father just told me a truth I was not ready for, but they say that we fear what we don't know. Is there a chance that everything could be alright even with a PSA level of 10? Is it possible that prostate cancer doesn't exactly mean an early death?

A: An elevated PSA does not necessarily mean prostate cancer, it can be due to inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis) which is usually due to an infection that can be treated. If caught early prostate cancer can have a good prognosis with surgical removal of the tumor. There are other options such as hormonal therapy and radiation in addition to surgery or if surgery is not an option. http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/psa/test.html#what http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000380.htm

Q: prostate cancer psa levels?
my psa level is 2554.40 how high can it go they tell me this is just a number don't worry

A: The closer you are to the number 0 the better off you are. Your doc should already have you scheduled for for some type of treatment and prostate removal with a number this high. If your doc is not acting on this immediately find a new urologist ASAP. My dad has prostate cancer which came back in his soft tissue even though his prostate was removed. His PSA went back up to 40 but with radiation and now with hormone shots it is under control and down to about a number 1. The sooner they start treatment the better off you will be.

Q: What is a the ballpark psa score of someone who dies from prostate cancer?
My dad has prostate cancer, and has for a long time. Recently his score jumped from 50 to 195, what is the high end of the psa scale? Everything I'm reading says 20 is high, do people die at 400, 800, 1000?"

A: My husband had surgery for prostate cancer and his PSA was only 5.2 but it had doubled in one year so they did a biopsy. They found cancer and did a radical prostatectomy. He is doing fine now. I've heard of people's PSA being 400, even 800 and over. They fact that your dad's score jumped so much is definitely a cause for concern. Is it possible they are using a different methodology for the tests? Some labs have different ways of testing. This might affect the test score somewhat. What has you dad done so far? Watchful waiting? Radiation? Surgery? There are probably options available to him. He needs to discuss these options with a qualified urologist that he trusts. My father-in-law had an extremely high PSA but he had some surgery that prolonged his life several years and he was an old man when he passed away. I know this is scary but there is probably things that the doctors can do to help him. My father-in-law had his testicals removed and there by cut off the testostrone that feeds the cancer. Radical surgery but it worked for him. There may be other less invasive methods they can do. Ask and research the internet. Keep the hope! Best wishes to you and your dad.

Q: I understand that prostate cancer is slow-growing. How long would it take to show as a 7 on a PSA reading?
A PSA count of 3 is cause for concern as I understand it. Wondering, bottom line, how long the prostate cancer went undetected. Thank you.

A: Good question. I will try my best to shed some light on this topic for you, but I do not have all of the facts or data which would be a bit more helpful, such as age, previous PSA scores, medication, and family history. That being said, I will assume you never had a PSA done prior to this initial exam. If that is the case, it could have been several years for your PSA to climb to this high of a number. Also, if you happened to have sex prior to having your PSA drawn, or on some medications, there is a potential that your PSA is abnormally high due to those reasons as well. If you did have a prior PSA, and it jumped from a 3 to say a 7 in less then one year, then you may be looking at a more aggressive prostate cancer. If you haven't has a prior PSA, and none of the first paragraph applies, then I would say you need to see a Urologist for a Digital Rectal Exam and a biopsy. If your biopsy comes back positive for prostate cancer, then you need to seek a consultation from both a Urologist and a Radiation Oncologist. Some Urologists will just go ahead and take you to surgery without having you get all the information for treatment options. This is why it is VERY important to also seek the advice of a Radiation Oncologist. Both can treat the disease, but both have very different potential side effects. Surgery is higher for impotence, Rad Onc can be higher for Rectal Bleeding or irritation upon urination. If you would like to read or learn more, please look at the following site: http://cancergeek.wordpress.com This entire site is dedicating all of September to Prostate Cancer and Education to everything and anything relating to prostate cancer. It is maintained by a specialist in Oncology.

Q: There has been alot of information reported about the value of PSA in detecting prostate cancer.?
Why is this test viewed as controversial?

A: prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cancer and men- and it is being detected in more and more younger men. Some feel it is over treated in America. They used to think a PSA over 4 indicated PCa. Now they realize that some men have large prostates and the PSA value is related to the size of the prostate. And as men age the prostate gets larger. Today the key indicator is the change in the PSA value over time. Most PCa grows very slowly- like over ten to fifteen years. so if the PSA is not changing very rapidly - probably not an issue.

Q: I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer,my PSA levels are now 2.5.?
Shall I elect to have prostate surgery, radiation or continue the "wait and see" process?

A: The easy answer is to FIX the cancer using natural methods, and those methods are backed by NIH research. What more evidence and motivation do you want to start RIGHT NOW? PS: Surgery, radiation and chemo ***can*** make your condition worse, and surgery definitely can make your possible cancer metastatise; so rule those out and take a 3 month chance with what I am going to say here. I have posted this in response to others, since I know from personal experience that it works. Please note this method is validated by NIH and I am giving those links in the sources. Look for "Budwig Protocol" (the support group whose link I am giving below has all the information you will need to get you started on this), used successfully in about 90% of cases, used for over 50 years by this doctor. And it is followed by a lot of people all over the world, and you have a very supportive and knowledgeable group who can help you at every step. The implementation of this protocol is very simple: Flaxseed and Flaxoil inhibits, stops and reverses growth and metastatis of cancer; plus you need to get off bad diets and move to simpler and cleaner food. Since there is so much opposition to any non-conformative methods, I am giving links to research by NIH, the most premier medical research institute in the world (www.nih.gov). Terminally ill people with Stage 4 terminal who were given weeks to live have gotten themselves completely cured using this method. You will see results in 1-2 weeks and very good improvements in a month or two months time (it is equally easy to prevent cancer by following a minimal part of this protocol). You can also go to NIH site, and search for '"flax oil" cancer' and find more references. Please check the references I am giving below (note the research is on breast cancer, but there is essentially no difference - cancer is cancer; plus the support group has tons of prostate cancer testimonials and current/cured patients that you can look up).

Q: If you have an elevated PSA in a prostate test, what are the odds that it's cancer?
My dad (age 55) had a prostate test and his PSA levels were high. He was referred to a urologist for a biopsy, were still waiting on the results. I just want to know what the liklihood of it being cancer is. Do high PSA levels mean it's most likely cancer?

A: PSA is secreted by prostate tissue, healthy or diseased. As men age, it's normal for their prostates to gradually enlarge, and their PSA levels to rise. If your father's urologist has estimated the volume of his prostate, you can calulate his expected PSA by multiplying the volume in cc's by 0.066. If his actual PSA is higher than calculated, then the chance are good that cancer will be found.

Q: prostate cancer?
i have cancer ,my psa count is 4.9,in gleason level is 7 grade,they are going to remove the prostate,any answer

A: Make sure that you are seeing a reliable urologist and have them explain all your surgical and non-surgical options. Be sure to ask which procedure is least likely to leave you with sexual function problems and if that procedure is appropriate for you. Good luck with this and speedy recovery!

Q: prostate cancer and psa levels?
hi, my dad has been diagnosed with pc, psa level of 374, controllable but not curable, been put on cyprostat tablets then injections. He has a swollen lympg gland n neck, but no other symptoms. Docs not giving him bone scan as said the treatment would be the same anyway, and why find things they can't do anymore for! I need to understand this more, what does it all mean, can this always be controlled or is it just a matter of time? anyone got any experiences? what questions should i ask my dad to understand it better? thanks

A: Hi, I am no expert, but I have worked on a urology ward in the past. During this time I met quite a few patients with prostate cancer, some of them had been patients for years. The hospital where I worked had a research department and many Prostate patienets were recruited onto clinical trials, although there is usually an age restriction as they will not recruit patients if they are less than five years away from the average life expectancy (I think the cut off is somewhere between 75 and 80 I can't remember exactly. Some of the patients also had bone scans which showed secondary involvement. The treatments used ranged from radical prostatectomy to hormone treatment (this was used on research patients) and in most instances these treatments worked pretty well. However, I would hate to give you false hope, 374 is pretty high and the swollen lymph glands mean that there is a probability that the cancer has spread. There are a number of support groups where you will be able to get more specialist advice and I strongly recommend that you join one, or at least look on a website. Here are a few links that you may find useful: http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/understanding/analytes/psa/test.html http://www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/ http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/ I hope your father's condition continues to be control and I wish you well for the future, Mel.

Q: why did my psa go up after i had seed in plant to my prostate.?
2 month after i had seed in plant, for prostate cancer my psa went from 9 to 12, why and want dose that mean.

A: You went to the Doctor I hope.... ask him for the corrrect information while you are there getting this information.