Husband's elevated psa

Have they checked your husband for any kind of infection in his prostate? Has he been put on any kind of antibiotics during this time period?

If there is no evidence of infection, which could cause a spike in his PSA, along with symptons of having an enlarged prostate, then if at the next test, if his PSA number is that high or higher, I would recommend him having a prostate biopsy to be on the safe side.

Without knowing what this biopsy would or wouldn't show, I wouldn't get ahead of yourself with worry about what it may or may not be. I would wait until you have the facts in hand, no way to predict what you are asking.

I am interested in knowing whether he is or has been treated for possible prostate infection, most urologists would want to rule that out before doing the biopsy.

Good luck to you and your husband, and welcome here.

david in sc

Have they checked your husband for any kind of infection in his prostate? Has he been put on any kind of antibiotics during this time period?

my PSA was 6.8 when I was referred to my uro.  he ordered a retest which was 6.2.  he then said it was time for a biopsy.  I asked him about infection, bike riding etc.  but he just shook his head and said I had about a 60-70% chance of having PC.  of course my prostate was smallish and flat too, and he was right.

ed

 

His primary doctor said when he plugged in the numbers the first time in the computer, it said he has either a 40% or 60% chance of having cancer (my husband doesn't remember the #s off the top of his head.)

Hello DJtimewilltell,

Welcome to the forum, we're sorry you find yourself here but we'll try to help.

Nobody here is a doctor and nothing anyone says here is medical advice. It's just stuff for him to ask his doctor about. The possibility of an infection is one thing to ask about. A prostate infection can make the PSA go up five points easily and they often don't have many symptoms. Doctors will frequently put a man on two weeks of antibiotics and test again. If the antibiotics make the PSA go down then the PSA spike was (at least somewhat) caused by an infection. On the other hand, since his GP waited three months and rechecked and the result was mostly the same only a bit higher it doesn't sound much like an infection -- they usually make the PSA veer up and down and a steady growth sounds like something else. So, worth asking the urologist about a possible infection but its hard to guess what he might say.

As for your other question about how serious it might be I dunno. But the statistics are quite encouraging. Assuming that your husband does get a biopsy, three out of four biopsies are negative. And if it is positive, for men who get diagnosed with prostate cancer the ten year survival rate is something like 97 percent. He'd have to be pretty unlucky not to be OK even if he is diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Let us know what his doctor says and we'll try to help you understand it.

Yes, it would be good to go with him, especially if he's willing, and yes, can't imagine any doctor not talking to the both of you. If he does have cancer, it quickly becomes an "our" cancer adventure. My wife is the most important member of my team, we have worked through all of my cancer events together, wouldn't have it any other way.

david

Trust me, it would a delight to deny you and your husband anything but visitor status here. It's not a fun club to join - the membership cost is too high, but if you do, you will be glad to be here.

david

DJtimewilltell said...
His primary doctor said when he plugged in the numbers the first time in the computer, it said he has either a 40% or 60% chance of having cancer (my husband doesn't remember the #s off the top of his head.)

I certainly am not a doctor, but I suspect this primary doctor was plugging in numbers that have little relevance to an actual case of prostate cancer. Is it possible the doctor meant a 40% or 60% chance of HAVING PC -- and not actual odds of survival?

Keep in mind that, as others have noted, the stats actually favor your husband's longterm outlook even if he DID have PC. The high end of normal for his age would be a PSA of 4.0. His PSA is not all that far away from that. In many cases, doctors begin worrying about the possible spread of PC with PSAs over 10.

So, while there can be no guarantees, it is likely that any PC found in your husband would still be confined to the prostate -- and hence quite curable.

So I would not place much faith in the stats provided by his doctor. He has not even been diagnosed with PC at this point. And, without any related Gleason score and staging, there is no cancer for the doctor to quote any percentages of survival.

This is why I think he actually meant your husband's chances of simply HAVING prostate cancer.

So hang in there and be aware that the stats are in your husband's favor.

Good luck -- and we're always here for you.
Chuck

Resident of Highland, Indiana just outside of Chicago, IL.
July 2011 local PSA lab reading 6.41 (from 4.1 in 2009). Mayo Clinic PSA Sept. 2011 was 5.7.
Local urologist DRE revealed significant BPH, but no lumps.
PCa Dx Aug. 2011 at age of 61.
Biopsy revealed adenocarcinoma in 3 of 20 cores (one 5%, two 20%). T2C.
Gleason score 3+3=6.
CT of abdomen, bone scan both negative.
DaVinci prostatectomy 11/1/11 at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN), nerve sparing, age 62.
My surgeon was Dr. Matthew Tollefson, who I highly recommend.
Final pathology shows tumor confined to prostate.
5 lymph nodes, seminal vesicles, extraprostatic soft tissue all negative.
1.0 x 0.6 x 0.6 cm mass involving right posterior inferior,
right posterior apex & left mid posterior prostate.
Right posterior apex margin involved by tumor over a 0.2 cm length, doctor says this is insignificant.
Prostate 98.3 grams, tumor 2 grams. Prostate size 5.0 x 4.7 x 4.5 cm.
Abdominal drain removed the morning after surgery.
Catheter out in 7 days. No incontinence, occasional minor dripping.
Post-op exams 2/13/12, 9/10/12, PSA <0.1. PSA tests now annual.
Semi-firm erections now happening 14 months post-op & VERY slowly getting a bit stronger.

Here's something I highly recommend for the doctor's appointment. As well as going together, record the audio on your phone or whatever you have that can record the doc's voice and also your questions. I used the voice record app on my smart phone. I just set it on the doc's desk between us and him and it worked perfectly. If you don't record the conversation, you WILL forget half of what the doc says. Ask first though. I've never heard of a urologist refusing to allow recording him, but nowadays with so much frivilous litigation I guess it could happen.

Also, I agree with the others, we hope it turns out to be a false alarm and we never hear from you again.

Steve

NolaVette

Yes, having the spouse go with the patient is a big help.

My spouse also purchased a thumb drive that doubles as a recorder. It does not have to be plugged in to record, just switched to the on position, but when you later plug it in, conversation is clear and you can Google any terminology you are not familiar with.

Also a good way to go back a re-listen to old visits, much better than relying on memory.

I am not home right now to check with her, but think she ordered it on pulsetv.com. Works great.