Mirellen said...
However, if he maintains his PSA level, is it likely he is maintaining a slow growth of the cancer. Generally, is the relationship between the two strong enough to indicate this? I know some cancers do not produce high levels of PSA but his has been identified as adenocarcinoma.
You cannot tell from PSA because so many factors affect it. That's why active surveillance programs
always include follow-up biopsies. Many higher grade adenocarcinomas produce less PSA and are more virulent than lower grade ones. For example, a man in my support group was diagnosed with a Gleason 9 and his PSA never got higher than 2.5. The converse is more likely to be true - a steadily rising PSA may indicate trouble worth investigating.
I agree with Michael-T that there's nothing on the bone scan that raises any red flags. It's saying he has an enlarged prostate (probably attributed to BPH) that is indenting his bladder, and that the bladder wall is thickened (probably due to low grade cystitis). Mild uptake on a bone scan is normal - a bone scan is not a test for cancer. If anything looked suspicious, they would say it is suspicious. They don't use subtext on a pathology report, they just report facts as they see them.
Did Dr. Stricker recommend several specialists in Perth for you to meet with? I don't think just talking with them will cost a lot of money. While you can't force him to go, I think you have a right to insist that he respect your feelings. Prostate cancer can take a big toll on marriages.
- Allen