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How sensitive are UK post op PSA tests?

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Posted 2/10/2011 11:50 AM (GMT 0)
Hi everyone,

I have my first post op PSA blood test after ORP next month, my surgery was 13th Dec and i wondered how sensitive the tests are in the UK. Even though we have good surgeons and hospitals, often some equipment will not be as up to date as in other countries due to the financial restraints and budget cuts implimented by our goverment :(

I know a lot of you guys publish low results due to the very good sensitivity of the lab equipment and was curious as to how low the count can go in UK labs.

Take care, Bob.
Posted 2/10/2011 12:23 PM (GMT 0)
How sensitive were your tests before surgey? Didn't you use them to help determine you needed surgery?

I'm guessing that no one has every done a study comparing test results from different countries. I'd also guess that the tests in the UK are more then adequate.

Posted 2/10/2011 1:31 PM (GMT 0)
The answer is that because the UK has a universal health system, they do have a systematic approach to testing and procuring the best PSA assays available. See below:

The UK government did a comparision of PSA assays in order to make good purchasing decisions in Feb 2010 and the results were published at this website. It is an impressive document created by your government.
http://www.immqas.org.uk/documents/TotalPSAAssays-EvaluationReport2010.pdf

As you can see several ultrasensitive tests have also been reviewed in this document.

I would not worry about budget cuts in the UK affecting your PSA test, which are some of the cheapest tests in the market. In australia they cost less than $20 to do an ultrasensitive test so I doubt this will be the focus.

Regards,
An
Posted 2/10/2011 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
They give me two decimal places, and that's whether I get it done at my GP or at my local NHS hospital (Chester).
Posted 2/10/2011 3:10 PM (GMT 0)
My pre op PSA tests where only ever to one decimal point, prior to my surgery i was tested as 5.6 which then jumped to 6.7, ive never seen mine go beyond one decimal point in the past.
Bob.
Posted 2/10/2011 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
When you get PSA tests before surgery they are often like yours, and there is no great benefit for the purpose of diagnosis to test to two decimals for such a degree of accuracy. Being told that you are 7.62 rather than 7.69 makes little difference, whereas after surgery there is a bit more of a difference between 0.02 and 0.09.

At my hospital/lab in Holland they are still only testing to one decimal taking the view that everything below 0.1 is okay and everything above 0.1 is not. And that once you are above 0.2 they start offering RT or HT etc.

And then once the cat is really out of the bag and you are up to high numbers there is again no great advantage to measure the differnce between 75.64 and 75.66.

Alf
Posted 2/10/2011 3:35 PM (GMT 0)
Even in the US the test is what the doctor orders. My GP orders ultrasensitive (2 decimals) but my uro/surgeon only wants standard (1 decimal) and gets upset with me for getting the test at the GP.

The uro believes that ultrasensitive creates unneeded anxiety. Some here will tell you that misses opportunity to fight BCR earlier.

Both of the tests are in the $100 - $125 (retail, no insurance) range plus the cost of the nurse drawing the blood/office visit, so the total cost is not a real variable in the choice.

I've noted that from the GP, the test is run on the same equipment for both versions.

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