UPDATE PSA - Should I be concerned

tonybuxton
tonybuxton Member Posts: 88
in Prostate Cancer #1

I have not been on this forum for sometime because I have been very ill and the last thing I wanted to think about is my Pca.

I was very unlucky because I caught the most virulant Pneumonia from the hospital where I was having a colonoscopy. I was in intensive care. I was just recovering when I had a mild heart attack and had a stent put in my heart.

Now that I am up and about I had my PSA tested to-day and it has gone up from 0.752 to 0.821 over the last three months. At this rate it will take a couple more years to reach the critical figure of 2. So I am not going to worry, Any comments will be appreciaated.

Comments

  • ralph.townsend1
    ralph.townsend1 Member Posts: 359 Member
    #2
    Low Psa

    Not to make you worry, but a psa of .8 can be very dangerous. My psa is .7 and the PC is growing. The doctor at MDACC said if you have a high gleason score and it is aggressive a low psa can make the PC dangerous and growing.

  • hopeful and optimistic
    hopeful and optimistic Member Posts: 2,346 Member
    #3
    decimal place

    I think that you moved the decimal point to the right in all all three PSA numbers?

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,707 Member
    #4
    hopeful and optimistic said:

    decimal place

    I think that you moved the decimal point to the right in all all three PSA numbers?

    Judging progress with periodical tests

    Tony

     

    I am sorry for what has happen since your last post. I wish that you recover and find improvements in all battle fronts.

    The increase in PSA is significative but not so to be that concerned as you may imply. I have seen many different “types” of PSA results in guys with similar status as that of yours, and you may have already realized that those levels vary from patient to patient.

    The best way to judge any progressive case using the PSA as a marker is to continuously do the tests and judge their curve. A single result cannot identify properly a status.

    Please note that I am not a doctor and that my lay opinions are solo based on experience and studies/researches done along my 12 years as a patient.

    Your past posted info on the tests gives a chronology that seems to be consistent with your diagnose. (http://csn.cancer.org/node/248203#comment-1293493 )

    Pre Turp the PSA was 27 moving up to 42 ng/ml in 3 years (with positive BPH). The high volume of cancer and Gs7 made your doctor to recommend you the combi HT plus IMRT. At the 6th month mark since the combi treatment, your first PSA was 0.24 which has increased to 0.752 and 0.821 in the last two 3-month periodical tests.

    I do not know the protocol or the mg of the HT shot but your testosterone levels at the 9-months mark indicates the end of castration (268 ng/dL). Any increase thereafter in your case could be due to cancer, due to BPH or to inflammation. After all you still got a prostate in place with active (benign) prostatic cells.
    More periodical tests will show a more concise prognosis of your case.

    In continuing the tests, you do not lose anything. The fact is that even if you are already experiencing recurrence, your next “step” of treatment would be that of returning to the hormonal treatment, and in such case your doctor may want to start it when the level of PSA reaches his threshold mark.

    In my case with two failed radicals (RP and RT) my doctor started HT at the threshold of PSA=1.0.

    Many guys report on higher levels like 5 or 10 to start HT.

     

    I agree with your comment. The threshold to start your HT could be a PSA of 2.0 and for such it is too earlier yet. Probably you already read in somewhere that hormonal manipulations can control the advancement of the cancer during many years before one becomes refractory. After that we got a second-line HT, immunologic therapies and chemo before one succumbs to cancer.

     

    Forget the “baddies” and recall all those good memories of your past travels. I also have enjoyed Burma. Bagan was impressive. The palace at Mandalay got a pair of 17 century Portuguese Cannons at each of its entrances. Go Go Portugal.

    Best wishes.

    VGama

  • Samsungtech1
    Samsungtech1 Member Posts: 351
    #5
    Colonostopy

    Not sure, but I lost two of my best friends to this test.  Last one died in 2010.  They either go right or they go south.  Hard to imagine losing two friends to this test.  Dr. Currently trying to talk me into one, but with metastic prostate cancer, and ischemic heart disease, not to mention on going melanoma, it seems like I have nothing to gain.  One more cancer does not matter at this point.  The gastro doc said i have proctolitis so can not do any colonostopy until it heals.  Not sure this test is worth it.

    Mike

  • tonybuxton
    tonybuxton Member Posts: 88
    #6
    ralph.townsend1 said:

    Low Psa

    Not to make you worry, but a psa of .8 can be very dangerous. My psa is .7 and the PC is growing. The doctor at MDACC said if you have a high gleason score and it is aggressive a low psa can make the PC dangerous and growing.

    PSA

    I thought that 0.8 would be ok after radiaition. My gleason was 3+4.  There is no way I would go back to hormone treatment. It nearly killed me.

    But my urologist might suggest casodex 50mg daily should be tolerable.  I will wait 3 months and see. I will be 82 then and can't expect to live forever

  • tonybuxton
    tonybuxton Member Posts: 88
    #7
    VascodaGama said:

    Judging progress with periodical tests

    Tony

     

    I am sorry for what has happen since your last post. I wish that you recover and find improvements in all battle fronts.

    The increase in PSA is significative but not so to be that concerned as you may imply. I have seen many different “types” of PSA results in guys with similar status as that of yours, and you may have already realized that those levels vary from patient to patient.

    The best way to judge any progressive case using the PSA as a marker is to continuously do the tests and judge their curve. A single result cannot identify properly a status.

    Please note that I am not a doctor and that my lay opinions are solo based on experience and studies/researches done along my 12 years as a patient.

    Your past posted info on the tests gives a chronology that seems to be consistent with your diagnose. (http://csn.cancer.org/node/248203#comment-1293493 )

    Pre Turp the PSA was 27 moving up to 42 ng/ml in 3 years (with positive BPH). The high volume of cancer and Gs7 made your doctor to recommend you the combi HT plus IMRT. At the 6th month mark since the combi treatment, your first PSA was 0.24 which has increased to 0.752 and 0.821 in the last two 3-month periodical tests.

    I do not know the protocol or the mg of the HT shot but your testosterone levels at the 9-months mark indicates the end of castration (268 ng/dL). Any increase thereafter in your case could be due to cancer, due to BPH or to inflammation. After all you still got a prostate in place with active (benign) prostatic cells.
    More periodical tests will show a more concise prognosis of your case.

    In continuing the tests, you do not lose anything. The fact is that even if you are already experiencing recurrence, your next “step” of treatment would be that of returning to the hormonal treatment, and in such case your doctor may want to start it when the level of PSA reaches his threshold mark.

    In my case with two failed radicals (RP and RT) my doctor started HT at the threshold of PSA=1.0.

    Many guys report on higher levels like 5 or 10 to start HT.

     

    I agree with your comment. The threshold to start your HT could be a PSA of 2.0 and for such it is too earlier yet. Probably you already read in somewhere that hormonal manipulations can control the advancement of the cancer during many years before one becomes refractory. After that we got a second-line HT, immunologic therapies and chemo before one succumbs to cancer.

     

    Forget the “baddies” and recall all those good memories of your past travels. I also have enjoyed Burma. Bagan was impressive. The palace at Mandalay got a pair of 17 century Portuguese Cannons at each of its entrances. Go Go Portugal.

    Best wishes.

    VGama

    Hi VGAMA
    your posts are

    Hi VGAMA

    your posts are always encouraging. I will see what my next PSA is then I will see my Urologist and he may suggest 5omg Casodex daily.

    Did you go to Inle Lake in Burma. For us it was the most beautiful place?   I'm too old to travel any long distances. But Burma is only an hour away

    Tony

  • tonybuxton
    tonybuxton Member Posts: 88
    #8
    Samsungtech1 said:

    Colonostopy

    Not sure, but I lost two of my best friends to this test.  Last one died in 2010.  They either go right or they go south.  Hard to imagine losing two friends to this test.  Dr. Currently trying to talk me into one, but with metastic prostate cancer, and ischemic heart disease, not to mention on going melanoma, it seems like I have nothing to gain.  One more cancer does not matter at this point.  The gastro doc said i have proctolitis so can not do any colonostopy until it heals.  Not sure this test is worth it.

    Mike

    The colonoscopy test did not

    The colonoscopy test did not kill me but the pneumonia I caught in the hospital nearly did. It was the worst experience in my life.  

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