52 Year Old - 5.9 PSA

chconnol
chconnol Member Posts: 3
in Prostate Cancer #1

Hi,

52 year old. Recently told by my urologist that my PSA is 5.9.

Said I should wait 2 to 3 weeks and get retested. Do no ejaculate for 48 hours.

Of course I am royalling freaking out and just know it’s cancer.

Blood was drawn on Tuesday, June 12th at 8:30AM. I had had sex on Friday evening and again late Saturday night, early Sunday morning. I am hoping this is what caused this but I am freaking out.

My Dad died of prostate cancer when he was in his 70s, not his 50’s like me.

Any support/help? I’m going through a lot of life changes right now in addition to this (left my wife of 25 years, came out as gay, and have been having a lot of sex -safe only).

Please help.

 

Comments

  • Clevelandguy
    Clevelandguy Member Posts: 1,208 Member
    #2
    More tests needed

    Hi CH,
    Your high PSA could also be from an enlarged Prostate(BPH) which means Benign prostatic hyperplasia, this could also raise your PSA number..  If your next PSA is as high or higher your Urologist might want to do an MRI to confirm any suspicious regions inside your Prostate that could be cancerous.  If the MRI shows some abnormal areas the doctor would probably next do a biopsy to look for cancerous tissue.  Hopefully no cancer will be detected and it just BPH.  Let us know when you know a little more info.

    Dave 3+4

     

  • chconnol
    chconnol Member Posts: 3
    edited June 2018 #3
    Clevelandguy said:

    More tests needed

    Hi CH,
    Your high PSA could also be from an enlarged Prostate(BPH) which means Benign prostatic hyperplasia, this could also raise your PSA number..  If your next PSA is as high or higher your Urologist might want to do an MRI to confirm any suspicious regions inside your Prostate that could be cancerous.  If the MRI shows some abnormal areas the doctor would probably next do a biopsy to look for cancerous tissue.  Hopefully no cancer will be detected and it just BPH.  Let us know when you know a little more info.

    Dave 3+4

     

    5.9 caused by BPH?

    Thanks for the reply. BPH could cause the PSA to go that high? My sex life is pretty active. Does that contribute to BPH? All I’m looking for is some relief. I have to wait 2 to 3 weeks to get retested. 

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,530 Member
    #4
    No reason to panic

    There could be many reasons for what appears to be a higher than normal (for your age) PSA test result. You mentioned recent sexual activity, but other common reasons are prostatitis, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), bike riding,  a recent digital rectal exam, etc. The size of your prostate also plays a role.

    In fact, it is often mentioned that only 25% of men with elevated PSA are found to have prostate cancer upon biopsy.

    And yes, a retest is a great idea (testing mistakes do happen, infrequently). Instead of the simple PSA test, You can ask for a 4Kscore test which gives more info. You could also consider a visit to a doctor and ask for a Digital Rectal Exam (DRE). But we wish that nothing remarkable will show up.

    PS: Clevelandguy also gave you sound advice.

  • chconnol
    chconnol Member Posts: 3
    edited June 2018 #5
    PSAs in the past were always above 4.0

    Wondering if it’s worth mention that in years past, my PSAs were always slightly above 4. One time the doctor saif my prostate felt enlarged but not alarmin so and was likely the culprit for the high PSA

    Last testing done was in August 2017 and it was like 4.1. No concern

    Maybe I just have high PSA naturally 

  • lighterwood67
    lighterwood67 Member Posts: 395 Member
    #6
    Family History

    With a family history of prostate cancer, like me, my father had prostate cancer, but that is not what he died of.  In saying that, you need to stay on top of this issue.  It is my understanding, the definitive test for prostate cancer is a biopsy.  In my case, I requested a 3 Tesla MRI.  After getting this imagery, a urologist performed a biopsy using the imagery as a tool to target suspicious areas and to cover the areas normally covered on a biopsy.  My biopsy revealed that I did have prostate cancer.  Anyway stay on top of it and I surely hope you do not have the "bandit".  But if you do, just remember, you are still the same person you have always been; you just know more about yourself then you used to.  You will find this site very informative from real honest to God prostate cancer brethren.  Good luck to you.

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