PSA up a little, should I be concerned?

well, it could be either.  I would try not to worry too much until you get a retest.  good luck.

ed

 

Hi ViperGuy,
I too had a rise in April for my 24 mo post op PSA .03 all were <.01 previously. My uro said it doesn't mean anything yet and not to worry. We'll do a retest in 3 mo.

I'm not worried until I see an upward trend with a few more tests but that hasn't stopped me from researching my salvage treatment might be should I reach that point.

I guess clinically, we are still undetectable <.1.

I'm curious what people will say...


-b

Viperguy said...
This test was done by Lab Corp and the URO has his own Lab at the hospital. I guess one can get spoiled to the .01 results and I really feel for anybody that has a recurrance.

If you have switched labs, then that can account for the variance (different machines, calibration, techs, etc). I am trying to stick with the same lab for all my PSA tests.

Viperguy: With your low pre-surgery PSA of 3.2, low volume biopsy results, and low Gleason of 6, you are probably the "best placed" on this forum as to NOT have a recurrance.  My PSA was 3.3 with Gleason 6 and we should both have very little to worry about.  The result is one of the downsides of Ultra sensitive testing. Did you stay Gleason 6 after surgery?

May I ask if your Dr. considers your T as low?  Mine is 476 after surgery in July 2011 and my libido seems low.

Bill K from NJ

Yes, I have 2000 GTS Coupe, Red with Silver Stripes.  Love the Z06 Vettes too, if only they hadn't put Camero tail lights on the back of the new Vette.  Round tail lights for Vettes in my opinion.  Hope you are doing well and I appreciate the helpful advice and good thoughts.

I will give you a simple answer, No. I don't feel you have anything to worry about whatsoever.

david

I know where you are coming from viperguy, I have a few of those nature/curse things going on and cancer will definitely heighten em. I try to live in the now, but that does get easier as you age and ironically, for me, the cancer actually make living in the now easier. If you don't exercise try it. Its an excellent way of being in real time. Its like a a shower for your insides. Take care of your self!

Wow!  Big difference between 0.021 and .1. 

Thanks

Phenom said...
Seems to be going around, just lost my lovely <.01 today, up to .03. No panic yet, will wait to see what it looks like in 3 months.

 

I feel your pain Phenom.  BTW what did your URO have to say about the bump to .03?

RH1970 said...
I def feel your pain..

My first reading, at 3 months after surgery, came back as 0.0 (not sure how to interpret that result), my 9 month reading was .02. All my docs say that readings this low are just artifacts/noise/lab variations and not to be given any weight and many have said this is 'undetectable' and that I should celebrate being in the ZERO club, but I have to say, not a day passes that I don't obsess over it...

I have another reading next week, my 15 month test. it's been a VERY long 6 months.. We'll see...

 

They say don't worry about it.  I worry about everything.  Noise in the lab equals noise in my mind, LOL.  I know, it's really not funny but i am so paranoid.  I hope you drop back to near .01 in the upcoming test.  BTW, just wondering since we know longer have a prostate if you had sex the day before the blood test would that cause a bump in PSA?  I wouldn't think it would, since there is no prostate involved.  That being said there may be some tissue remaining that might give off some PSA values when stimulated.  I just don't know. 

I don't know If I would say a "distinct" possibility, Phenom. A PSA of .03 is by all accounts still very low and clinically undetectable. My URO says PSA can jump around under .05 and mean nothing at all. I could be misunderstanding the opinion of all my doctors, everyone on his forum and various nomograms on the web, but I would say it's still much more likely than not that you (and me) will remain undetectable.

Viperguy, my situation was very similar except I was G7. I talked to several experts and even the most aggressive of them said that for the point you are, don't do anything, just keep watching. Some things to keep in mind:
1.) the accuracy of any machine is likely to be plus or minus a value of 1 in the smallest digit. So if your score is 0.1 that could just as well be 0.0 or 0.2 or anything in between.
2.) growth rates off such low PSA's are almost meaningless, and should be ignored.
3.) the MINIMUM amount of evidence that any one would consider as indicative of early recurrence in ultrasensitive testing below the level of 0.1 would be three consecutive increases (i.e. four measurements total) each at least two months apart. At that point you can BEGIN to consider that you MIGHT be in the EARLIEST stage of a recurrence.
4.) Lots of people develop an early rise in PSA at the kind of levels you are experience. There is some benign tissue left as the prostate does not have a clean break between the gland itself and the urethra before and after. If the Dr. clipped so much urethra as to 100$% assure no prostate cells were left, you'd have no urinary continence. So as you recover, the blood vessels regrow and PSA from this minute amount of tissue begins to show up in the blood test.
5.) According to the nomograms, with your stats you have a better than 95% chance you will never see this beast again.

Enjoy your good outcome thus far and seek a way to take your mind off it.