RISING PSA UPDATE

jimmie webb
jimmie webb Member Posts: 11
in Prostate Cancer #1

HAVE ANOTHER PSA ON 6 NOV RESULT WAS 0.091 THE LAST ONE ONIN SEPT WAS 0.109 AND THE ONE BEFORE  THAT ONE WAS 0.080 

ANYONE KNOW WHY THE LAST ONE WAS LOWER . SENT INFORMATION TO MY DOCTOR , I AM WAITING ON A REPLY FROM HIM.

Comments

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,315 Member
    #2

    You have run into the 'problem' with the ultrasensitive PSA assays.

    Assay results will vary for many technical reasons (instrument calibration, drift of instrument, etc). It looks to me (spent many years in biological research labs) that the changes you are seeing are not clinically significant.

    I expect that your doctor will say the same thing. But I have been wrong before!

  • Old-timer
    Old-timer Member Posts: 196
    #3
    Fluctuations in PSA readings

    My PSA readings gradually climbed over an eight year period (2000 to 2008), rising from 0.1 in early 2000 to 20.4 in June 2008. PSA readings were taken at 3-month intervals. Two times the PSA actually decreased significally enough that my urologist permitted me to wait before going on hormone therapy. On July 12, 2007, my PSA was 12.3. Sept. 12, 2007, it was 11.2. Dec. 4, 2007, PSA was 9.4.

    The good news did not continue. On Feb. 27, 2008, the PSA had bumped to 16.4.

    I had talked my urologist into waiting until PSA reached 20.0 before beginning hormone therapy. On June 16, 2008, the PSA reading was 20.4. At that date I began hormone treatment. Sept. 24, 2008, my PSA reading was <0.1. With annual checkups since that date, the PSA reading has remained at <0.1.

    The hormone therapy has not turned out to be as difficult as I had feared. But that is a different story; one that I am not writing about in this report.

    Hope this information is useful to you.

    Best of luck.

    Old-timer

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #4
    Insignificant variations

    Jimmie

    Adding a comment to the above opinions is that the PSA results also tend to be different in different assays kits from different makers.
    In your previous post you commented to use a Lab in the Philippines but the other tests were done in the USA.

    Whatever the reason could be………, I think this tiny decrease sets your last three readings in a plateau and such is insignificant it terms of validating a recurrence.

    Enjoy the “Ladies” and the rest at Clark Field.

    Best VG

    Note; Old-Timer is a veteran in the war against PCa just a little bit longer than yours 22 years in the fight. You are a nice pair of seniors in this forum.
     Your previous thread;     http://csn.cancer.org/node/287915

     

  • jimmie webb
    jimmie webb Member Posts: 11
    #5
    VascodaGama said:

    Insignificant variations

    Jimmie

    Adding a comment to the above opinions is that the PSA results also tend to be different in different assays kits from different makers.
    In your previous post you commented to use a Lab in the Philippines but the other tests were done in the USA.

    Whatever the reason could be………, I think this tiny decrease sets your last three readings in a plateau and such is insignificant it terms of validating a recurrence.

    Enjoy the “Ladies” and the rest at Clark Field.

    Best VG

    Note; Old-Timer is a veteran in the war against PCa just a little bit longer than yours 22 years in the fight. You are a nice pair of seniors in this forum.
     Your previous thread;     http://csn.cancer.org/node/287915

     

    back from the Philippines

    DR. SAID IT WAS BETTER TO COME BACK SOONER THAN LATER SO I CUT MY TRIP BY THREE MONTH . I SEE MY ONCOLOGIST TOMORROW AT 1030 AM . I AM LEANING TOWARD

    SRT I AM 76 YEARS OLD WALK THREE MILES EVERY DAYS IF IT NOT TO COLD IN THE WINTER MONTHS , AND PITCH FAST PITCH SOFTBALL EVERY SUMMER . SHOULD I HAVE ANOTHER PSA

    BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT . WHAT ABOUT A CAT SCAN OR MRI BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT ?

  • Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3
    Max Former Hodgkins Stage 3 Member Posts: 3,812 Member
    #6
    jimmie webb said:

    back from the Philippines

    DR. SAID IT WAS BETTER TO COME BACK SOONER THAN LATER SO I CUT MY TRIP BY THREE MONTH . I SEE MY ONCOLOGIST TOMORROW AT 1030 AM . I AM LEANING TOWARD

    SRT I AM 76 YEARS OLD WALK THREE MILES EVERY DAYS IF IT NOT TO COLD IN THE WINTER MONTHS , AND PITCH FAST PITCH SOFTBALL EVERY SUMMER . SHOULD I HAVE ANOTHER PSA

    BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT . WHAT ABOUT A CAT SCAN OR MRI BEFORE STARTING TREATMENT ?

    Wish I could visit

    My father-in-law was from the Philipines, he retired in the US Navy. Would love to visit. Many US doctors today are from there, so they must have good medical schools. Wishing you the best,

    max

  • jimmie webb
    jimmie webb Member Posts: 11
    #7
    Old Salt said:

    You have run into the 'problem' with the ultrasensitive PSA assays.

    Assay results will vary for many technical reasons (instrument calibration, drift of instrument, etc). It looks to me (spent many years in biological research labs) that the changes you are seeing are not clinically significant.

    I expect that your doctor will say the same thing. But I have been wrong before!

    what my ONCOLOGIST TOLD ME

    HE TOLD ME THE SAME THING OLD SALT SAID ABOUT THE PSA READING , AND WHAT VC SAID ABOUT MY CANCER BEING NON- AGGRESSIVE AND SLOW GROWING .

    ITS NON-DETCETABLE AND I START 38 SESSION OF RADIATION FIVE DAYS WEEK THIS COMING MON. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE ONLY SIDE EFFECT I SHOULD WORRY ABOUT IS INCONTINENT

    AND DIARRHEAL . ARE THERE ANY OTHER SIDE EFFECT I SHOULD BE CONCERN ABOUT.

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,339 Member
    #8
    jimmie webb said:

    what my ONCOLOGIST TOLD ME

    HE TOLD ME THE SAME THING OLD SALT SAID ABOUT THE PSA READING , AND WHAT VC SAID ABOUT MY CANCER BEING NON- AGGRESSIVE AND SLOW GROWING .

    ITS NON-DETCETABLE AND I START 38 SESSION OF RADIATION FIVE DAYS WEEK THIS COMING MON. HE ALSO SAID THAT THE ONLY SIDE EFFECT I SHOULD WORRY ABOUT IS INCONTINENT

    AND DIARRHEAL . ARE THERE ANY OTHER SIDE EFFECT I SHOULD BE CONCERN ABOUT.

    Dear Jimmie,

    I do not understand why you are seeking treatment at this time with the  low, steady PSA that you reported.  Why proceed when your quality of life can be ruined. Why not start radation treatment  in accordance with medical science studies that indicate that 0.2 or 0.3 is the time to proceed.

    PS I wonder why the radiation oncologist has agreed to treat?

    Best

  • jimmie webb
    jimmie webb Member Posts: 11
    #9
    hopeful and optimistic said:

    Dear Jimmie,

    I do not understand why you are seeking treatment at this time with the  low, steady PSA that you reported.  Why proceed when your quality of life can be ruined. Why not start radation treatment  in accordance with medical science studies that indicate that 0.2 or 0.3 is the time to proceed.

    PS I wonder why the radiation oncologist has agreed to treat?

    Best

    what my oncologist told

    cencer is non-aggressive and slow growing and non-detectable ,better sooner than later . I send my urologist a copy of my psa  and urinalysis test from the Philippines 

    and was told by him also the sooner the better so i ended my stay there about two month and come back to the U.S. . i will call both of them today and find out why.

     

  • Old-timer
    Old-timer Member Posts: 196
    #10
    jimmie webb said:

    what my oncologist told

    cencer is non-aggressive and slow growing and non-detectable ,better sooner than later . I send my urologist a copy of my psa  and urinalysis test from the Philippines 

    and was told by him also the sooner the better so i ended my stay there about two month and come back to the U.S. . i will call both of them today and find out why.

     

    You do not need treatment

    Are you joking? Based on what you have said in this thread, you do not need to even consider treatment. Unless you know something you are not telling, thank your lucky stars and stop worrying about prostate cancer. I could be wrong, of course, but this is how it appears to me.

    Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

    Old-timer

  • jimmie webb
    jimmie webb Member Posts: 11
    #11
    Old-timer said:

    You do not need treatment

    Are you joking? Based on what you have said in this thread, you do not need to even consider treatment. Unless you know something you are not telling, thank your lucky stars and stop worrying about prostate cancer. I could be wrong, of course, but this is how it appears to me.

    Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

    Old-timer

    telling every thing the oncologist told me

    should i have another PSA done , i am not going to have any treatment now . Old-Timer I am gong to follow your advise , but I do have one question

    at what point do I even think about having some type of treatment other than radiation . I found two more PSA copy . I will call the oncologist on Mon

    or stop by his office and cancel my appointment . By not having treatment what do I do other than have a PSA done every years , or how often should

    I have them done.

    PSA TEST

    0.047 4/5/2011 DR. IN THE PHILIPPINES JUST TOLD ME TEST WAS GOOD

    0.072 5/7/2012 DR. AT NORTH WESTERN MEDICAL CENTER IN CHICAGO JUST SAID IT APPEARS NORMAL

    0.081 3/4/2914       "               "                        "                    "

    0.109 9/28/2014     "                                ""                             "

    0.091 10/3/2014      DONE IN PHILIPPINES

    HAVE A URINALYSIS DONE IN THE PHILIPPINES , IF YOU NEED TO SEE THAT LET ME KNOW AND I WILL TYPE IT IN AND SEND IT TO YOU .

    IS THERE A ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE/WATCHFUL WAITING PROGRAM FOR RECURRING CANCER PATIENT.

  • blackthorne
    blackthorne Member Posts: 2
    #12
    VascodaGama said:

    Insignificant variations

    Jimmie

    Adding a comment to the above opinions is that the PSA results also tend to be different in different assays kits from different makers.
    In your previous post you commented to use a Lab in the Philippines but the other tests were done in the USA.

    Whatever the reason could be………, I think this tiny decrease sets your last three readings in a plateau and such is insignificant it terms of validating a recurrence.

    Enjoy the “Ladies” and the rest at Clark Field.

    Best VG

    Note; Old-Timer is a veteran in the war against PCa just a little bit longer than yours 22 years in the fight. You are a nice pair of seniors in this forum.
     Your previous thread;     http://csn.cancer.org/node/287915

     

    hi vasco

    you probably don't remember me.  my name is Steve.  you helped me immensily during my early p/c.  since then i have had imrt and it hit the target  psa dropped to under .1 & get it checked regularly.  it's been a few years since i've posted so again,  thanks vasco.  btw, i had to re register.  that's why my membership shows NEW.

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,641 Member
    #13
    blackthorne said:

    hi vasco

    you probably don't remember me.  my name is Steve.  you helped me immensily during my early p/c.  since then i have had imrt and it hit the target  psa dropped to under .1 & get it checked regularly.  it's been a few years since i've posted so again,  thanks vasco.  btw, i had to re register.  that's why my membership shows NEW.

    Blackthorne, Are you Steve Cook?

    Without more details of your past it will be difficult to know to which Steve I am refereing this post.

    In any case I would like to congratulate your results.

    Best wishes for continuing remissions.

    VG

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