Posted: 8/17/2012 3:55:00 PM EDT
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what do you know about them?
What causes it to rise? |
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what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Prostate cancer, get it repeated in a month or so just to rule out a false, or temporary rise. Your urologist will suggest this also. I'm a medical technologist and this is what I do for a living, but here's a quick link for you: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/PSA |
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make sure you don't have sex/orgasm at least 48hrs prior to the blood draw.
From what I userstand the test looks for the prostate specific antigen in the bloodstream, it seems that the presence of prostate cancer is known to weaken the prostate wall and allow the PSA to enter the bloodstream in higher than normal quantities. The male orgasm evidently can cause the prostrate to secrete the antigen as well thus giving you a false indicator of prostate Ca. Also avoid getting a test after the doc gives you the DRE/digital rectal exam AKA finger up da but, I am sure the doc knows this though. Saw Palmetto might help knock down the level if the rise is due to BPA Get a urine PCa3 test, supposedly more accurate for Prostate Ca I am not a doc good luck |
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what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Prostate cancer, get it repeated in a month or so just to rule out a false, or temporary rise. Your urologist will suggest this also. Ok. They just called and made an appt. for Monday. This reading was from last June. Much higher than the one from the previous March. |
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what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Prostate cancer, get it repeated in a month or so just to rule out a false, or temporary rise. Your urologist will suggest this also. Ok. They just called and made an appt. for Monday. This reading was from last June. Much higher than the one from the previous March. Well, you're in for a dull weekend. No sex, and that includes youporn. |
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what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Prostate cancer, get it repeated in a month or so just to rule out a false, or temporary rise. Your urologist will suggest this also. Ok. They just called and made an appt. for Monday. This reading was from last June. Much higher than the one from the previous March. Well, you're in for a dull weekend. No sex, and that includes youporn. 
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Quoted: what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Because of the inherent inaccuracy, and inability to 'screen' or 'prove' prostate cancer, the National Institutes of Health are now recommending that PSA 'screening tests' no longer be performed. Although I have read this in several places, my doctor stated this to me at my last annual physical. So, by itself, the PSA numbers really don't mean anything. |
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Quoted: Quoted: what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Because of the inherent inaccuracy, and inability to 'screen' or 'prove' prostate cancer, the National Institutes of Health are now recommending that PSA 'screening tests' no longer be performed. Although I have read this in several places, my doctor stated this to me at my last annual physical. So, by itself, the PSA numbers really don't mean anything. This is exactly what I was thinking when I saw the thread title. They're claiming there are lots of unnecessary procedures on account of this, or something. Might want to look into it... before you agree to anything beyond testing. |
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About this time last year I went in for my annual physical and had a PSA of 8.6.
I went to an Urologist and got a biopsy. Prostrate cancer. I spent the winter getting treated. Now my PSA is 1.2 and declining. Both my Urologists and my Oncologists have declared me to be cancer free. Get your PSA checked every year and if it is over 5 then get your prostate checked out. It is an easy cancer to fix if you catch it early. If you wait and it spreads into your bladder or bones you can be screwed. |
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The PSA velocity is more of a concern that a PSA that has gradually increased. There are studies supporting every view and the PSA detection game is a crap shoot. An infection of the prostate can cause a temporary rise in PSA levels. The Free PSA in conjunction with a standard PSA test gives another indication. The biopsy is hit and miss - literally. If they do a prostate biopsy they can miss the cancer and it will come back clean. The good news is that the majority of cases are slow growing and most men will die with prostate cancer, not from it. I've known 2 people with aggressive prostate cancer and it took about 20 years to finally kill them. I have a friend that has prostate cancer and all he is doing is keeping an eye on it. As some previous posters have said, don't get a PSA test within 48 hours of ejaculation or a digital rectal exam. The doctor may prescribe antibiotics to make sure it isn't an infection. Here is a great support web site, especially for men that have questions. http://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35 Lots of survivors on that web site and they are willing to share their experiences with you. |
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Quoted: About this time last year I went in for my annual physical and had a PSA of 8.6. I went to an Urologist and got a biopsy. Prostrate cancer. I spent the winter getting treated. Now my PSA is 1.2 and declining. Both my Urologists and my Oncologists have declared me to be cancer free. Get your PSA checked every year and if it is over 5 then get your prostate checked out. It is an easy cancer to fix if you catch it early. If you wait and it spreads into your bladder or bones you can be screwed. Glad you caught it in time... |
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what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Because of the inherent inaccuracy, and inability to 'screen' or 'prove' prostate cancer, the National Institutes of Health are now recommending that PSA 'screening tests' no longer be performed. Although I have read this in several places, my doctor stated this to me at my last annual physical. So, by itself, the PSA numbers really don't mean anything. First off I am not a doc but the advice given by the NIH and your doctor is great if you WANT TO FUCKING DIE. PSA is an indicator of something going on. I agree that by itself it does not mean cancer but is a sign that should be followed up on providing a couple of criteria are met. If elevated or it has risen a certain amount in a short period of time, proceed from there. It might be prostatitis that can be dealt with. The test is not inaccurate. It is as accurate as the med tech and laboratory analyzer performing the test. The DRE is important to tell if your prostate is enlarged or has any cancerous lumps etc. As mentioned, no sex for at least 48 hours prior and not all docs know not to do the DRE prior to your submitting a sample for testing. As you know, you will be retested. If it is the same you will probably go on antibiotics for about 30 days and get tested again. If still high, you will or should get the other two tests referred to here by the other posters. If those two are positive, it's probably biopsy time. I would tell the urologist that you want at least 12 cores taken - just my opinion. If the biospy is postive, the pathologist will assign a Gleason score that represents your stage of cancer. You now have to make a very big life decision on surgery or a few different types of radiation and/or hormone treatment. There other alternatives as well. As mentioned, I'm not a doc but I do know a bit about this because I currently have prostate cancer. I was not going to post about it in GD due to the childish and stupid comments surrounding the exams and procedures that must be done to diagnose and cure it but if I can help others, it will be worth it. I had a relative that died from it and it was an absolutely horrible death. A few guys at work also had/have it. One is probably not going to make it. I am currently undergoing treament for it. In the group of guys that I see come and go each day, two of them are just over 40 years old so it can happen early. Some of the guys blew off their PSA test results and now are in a more advance stage - not good. If you do get diagnosed, feel free to IM me and I can suggest some books to read or we can talk. You will need to make an informed decision. Believe me, the docs will leave the decision up to you. This may sound like a bit of a rant and maybe it is but when the docs says you have cancer, it kind of hits home. |
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what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Because of the inherent inaccuracy, and inability to 'screen' or 'prove' prostate cancer, the National Institutes of Health are now recommending that PSA 'screening tests' no longer be performed. Although I have read this in several places, my doctor stated this to me at my last annual physical. So, by itself, the PSA numbers really don't mean anything. First off I am not a doc but the advice given by the NIH and your doctor is great if you WANT TO FUCKING DIE. PSA is an indicator of something going on. I agree that by itself it does not mean cancer but is a sign that should be followed up on providing a couple of criteria are met. If elevated or it has risen a certain amount in a short period of time, proceed from there. It might be prostatitis that can be dealt with. The test is not inaccurate. It is as accurate as the med tech and laboratory analyzer performing the test. The DRE is important to tell if your prostate is enlarged or has any cancerous lumps etc. As mentioned, no sex for at least 48 hours prior and not all docs know to not to do the DRE prior to your submitting a sample for testing. As you know, you will be retested. If it is the same you will probably go on antibiotics for about 30 days and get tested again. If still high, you will or should get the other two tests referred to here by the other posters. If those two are positive, it's probably biopsy time. I would tell the urologist that you want at least 12 cores taken - just my opinion. If the biospy is postive, the pathologist will assign a Gleason score that represents your stage of cancer. You now have to make a very big life decision on surgery or a few different types of radiation and/or hormone treatment. There other alternatives as well. As mentioned, I'm not a doc but I do know a bit about this because I currently have prostate cancer. I was not going to post about it in GD due to the childish and stupid comments surrounding the exams and procedures that must be done to diagnose and cure it but if I can help others, it will be worth it. I had a relative that died from it and it was an absolutely horrible death. A few guys at work also had/have it. One is probably not going to make it. I am currently undergoing treament for it. In the group of guys that I see come and go each day, two of them are just over 40 years old so it can happen early. Some of the guys blew off their PSA test results and now are in a more advance stage - not good. If you do get diagnosed, feel free to IM me and I can suggest some books to read or we can talk. You will need to make an informed decision. Believe me, the docs will leave the decision up to you. This may sound like a bit of a rant and maybe it is but when the docs says you have cancer, it kind of hits home. good luck to you. my FIL just got a high PSA test result, do he'll be doing the routine re-checks presently. my Dad had prostate cancer when he was 75. It was caught early and he got radiation treatment and was good to go. Early diagnosis and action seems pretty key. |
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what do you know about them? What causes it to rise? Because of the inherent inaccuracy, and inability to 'screen' or 'prove' prostate cancer, the National Institutes of Health are now recommending that PSA 'screening tests' no longer be performed. Although I have read this in several places, my doctor stated this to me at my last annual physical. So, by itself, the PSA numbers really don't mean anything. First off I am not a doc but the advice given by the NIH and your doctor is great if you WANT TO FUCKING DIE. PSA is an indicator of something going on. I agree that by itself it does not mean cancer but is a sign that should be followed up on providing a couple of criteria are met. If elevated or it has risen a certain amount in a short period of time, proceed from there. It might be prostatitis that can be dealt with. The test is not inaccurate. It is as accurate as the med tech and laboratory analyzer performing the test. The DRE is important to tell if your prostate is enlarged or has any cancerous lumps etc. As mentioned, no sex for at least 48 hours prior and not all docs know not to do the DRE prior to your submitting a sample for testing. As you know, you will be retested. If it is the same you will probably go on antibiotics for about 30 days and get tested again. If still high, you will or should get the other two tests referred to here by the other posters. If those two are positive, it's probably biopsy time. I would tell the urologist that you want at least 12 cores taken - just my opinion. If the biospy is postive, the pathologist will assign a Gleason score that represents your stage of cancer. You now have to make a very big life decision on surgery or a few different types of radiation and/or hormone treatment. There other alternatives as well. As mentioned, I'm not a doc but I do know a bit about this because I currently have prostate cancer. I was not going to post about it in GD due to the childish and stupid comments surrounding the exams and procedures that must be done to diagnose and cure it but if I can help others, it will be worth it. I had a relative that died from it and it was an absolutely horrible death. A few guys at work also had/have it. One is probably not going to make it. I am currently undergoing treament for it. In the group of guys that I see come and go each day, two of them are just over 40 years old so it can happen early. Some of the guys blew off their PSA test results and now are in a more advance stage - not good. If you do get diagnosed, feel free to IM me and I can suggest some books to read or we can talk. You will need to make an informed decision. Believe me, the docs will leave the decision up to you. This may sound like a bit of a rant and maybe it is but when the docs says you have cancer, it kind of hits home. Thanks for the info Mike 48 Best of luck to you. |
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It was not the PSA that told my doctor that I had prostate cancer.
It was, however, the test that said I needed to have a biopsy that determined I had prostate cancer. There are no symptoms for prostate cancer until it is pretty advanced. The PSA is the only way to get an early detection. Don't let anybody talk you out of getting a PSA every year. A few people may have an elevated PSA and not cancer but most of the time is a pretty good indication. |
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PSA tests are neither sensitive, nor specific. It is an unreliable and misleading test that is only done because it is easy to do, not because it's accurate.
Most of the time, it's not fatal. But it can be. Prostate cancer is ripping through my dad like wildfire and he will likely be dead in three months. PSA didn't see shit until it was way too late. Now I'm depressed. |
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Quoted: PSA tests are neither sensitive, nor specific. It is an unreliable and misleading test that is only done because it is easy to do, not because it's accurate. Most of the time, it's not fatal. But it can be. Prostate cancer is ripping through my dad like wildfire and he will likely be dead in three months. PSA didn't see shit until it was way too late. Now I'm depressed. Sorry for what you are going through..  and for your Father... |