aj21411

Hi, I would really appreciate any feedback on my husband's psa test
results which are very concerning.

01/08/31 3.0
02/07/26 2.4
03/12/24 14.3 (age 52)

(same lab was used each time)

All other blood and urine work done at the same time as the latest psa
test is normal.

He has not had a free psa test yet, but will be seeing a urologist
this week, who will no doubt schedule more testing and biopsy.

At the time of his first psa he was diagnosed with BPH by his regular
doctor and has been on daily flomax since then for urinary problems.
DRE's have revealed nothing, apart from an enlarged prostate and the
doctor insisted all was fine, and didn't even see a need for regular
testing. Am I correct in thinking that the flomax should have no
effect on his test results? Could the flomax have masked symptoms that
might otherwise have prompted us to seek further treatment?

Is it really possible to have such an increase over 17 months and it
not be caused by cancer? From everything I have read about psa
velocity, it seems unlikely. Also, both his father and brother have
had prostate cancer, so we
realize the higher risk from that.

I've read so much about false negatives and repeat biopsies, and
wonder is
it more difficult to detect cancer in an enlarged prostate?

Sorry for all the questions! It feels like the uro visit and
subsequent test results will take forever, and it makes me feel better
to put down my thoughts. Although he is well aware of the
possibilities that may lie ahead, my husband is not a worrier by
nature and takes it all in his stride. I am the one who stays up at
night researching and doing the worrying for both of us (although I do
a pretty good job of keeping cool on the outside!)

Thanks for being there,
Ann

palmer_ent

hi ann - i can understand your concerns.

plain and simple, here are the facts as i understand them.

father and brother have pca. that means your hubby is high risk for the
possibility of pca himself.

big jump in psa. warning sign - yes. pca - maybe no. BPH can play a
factor in the psa numbers but not a jump like that. prostate infection
certainly can. prostate infections can make numbers jump alarming high
and then come back down just as easy. because of that, they could put
him on antibiotics to rule out that as a cause before they do a biopsy.
the same is true on the free psa test. between the free psa test and
another psa test ran after a treatment of antibiotics, will tell whether
or not he needs the biopsy.

to my knowledge, flomax doesn't enter into the psa tests because the
test is measuring how much psa the prostate is making and i don't know
if an enlarged prostate would be harder to find pca. personally, i had
a 55 gram prostate, which is almost twice the size of a normal prostate
and they found the pca. and i was T1c.

hope this helps.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional

steve kramer

Ann,

Do not apologize. If I were you, I'd be tremendously worried.

However, I believe you have little to worry about. Of course you have to
check to make sure, but if he already had BHP and the PSA jumped quadrupled
in less than 1½ years, I'd say the chances are very good for continue
prostate problems and much less for prostate cancer.

--
Prostate Cancer Survivor (so far), not a doctor
PSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46
Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c
RRP 12/15/2000
PSA .1 .1 .1 .3 .4 .8
EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47
PSA .3 .2 .2 .2 .3
Erection 05/12/2003 @ 48
HTbegins 07/21/2003 @ 48
PSA .1
Lupron 7/03, 8/03, 12/03

leonard evens

I agree with the other comments. The most likely explanation is
prostatitis. If so, antibiotics might resolve the problem but they also
may not work. And certainly the possibility of prostate cancer has to
be eliminated, so after doing a free PSA test, his doctor may want to do
a biopsy.

You should take things one step at a time. Don't assume the worst and
try to prepare yourself for it. That just leads to misery and it
doesn't work. In all likelihood, he doesn't have prostate cancer, and
even if he does, there is a good chance it can be cured without
significant side effects.

Good luck.

mh

Hi, Ann.....
It is my understanding that prostatitis can cause the PSA to jump quite
sharply. Perhaps the uro will suggest a strong round of antibiotics and
follow-up PSA in about a month. Or he may choose to go ahead and schedule a
biopsy. In any case, there *are* other things besides PCa that can be at
play here. Father and brother having PCa does increase your husband's
odds... but try not to panic.
My PSA jumped up to 13.9.. but was back down to 8.1 at the time I had my
surgery. So it sounds like some prostatitis may be involved here.

Just my humble opinion, of course!

Take good care... and please....keep us posted!

MikeH

aj21411

You guys are great. Thank you so much for the thoughtful replies.
Your input helps a lot! We will let you know what happens.

Best wishes,
Ann

aj21411

You guys are great. Thank you so much for the thoughtful replies.
Your input helps a lot! We will let you know what happens.

Best wishes,
Ann

jamie

Hi Ann

Been there. See my post under. Re: Hormone Therapy - How Long.

I would ask for a biopsy. Your mind would then be able to rest if the
results were negative.

Jamie