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Posted 4/25/2017 5:55 PM (GMT 0)
my psa jumped from 7.2 ng/ml to 21.3ng/ml from july 2016 to april 2017. does that sound possible or possibly a false reading? my free PSA went from .82 ng/ml 11.4% to 2.18 ng/ml 10.2% in the same time period. when i had the test i was just getting over a miserable cold. in 2015 my psa was 6.35. any thoughts?
Posted 4/25/2017 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Roy

Welcome! im new myself here but have read a LOT and your PSA numbers are very possible. Im sure the far more educated people will be along shortly to discuss your numbers in more detail, but to answer your question it is possible. To help the everyone understand your situation, you should give a little more detail on what tests you have had done, if you've met with a urologist and if there is a plan in place for same. Maybe they have put you on antibiotics suspecting an infection/rule one out?

Wishing you the best
Posted 4/25/2017 6:23 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome Roy. In my opinion the first thing you should do is take that PSA test again and see what the result is. It could be an anomaly. I disagree with using antibiotics to try to get your PSA down, because there are cases where antibiotics will bring cancer related PSA down for reasons not yet understood.
Posted 4/25/2017 6:34 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Searchinginla

Just to clarify, i didnt recommend (although i dont disagree either, PC is mostly slow growing, so if an infection can be ruled out with antibiotics/found by taking antibiotics whats the problem!) antibiotics, i just asked what steps had been taken to this point that was all.
Posted 4/25/2017 6:46 PM (GMT 0)
Doire, I wasn't attacking you at all. I was merely pointing out that some urologists think that giving antibiotics before the next PSA is not the way to go. The reason being that it can mask cancer and making the patient think that he's okay. Having said that, I know that in a lot of cases antibiotics are being given to rule out inflamtion or infection. I were trying to show another point of view. Sorry if I offended you.
Posted 4/25/2017 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Searchinginla, no offence taken at all, i just wanted to clarify that i wasn't making recommendations smile
Posted 4/25/2017 6:56 PM (GMT 0)
i'm 68 and not on any prescription meds whatsoever. i had a false positive a few years ago. and my dr likes to monitor me. however he retired and i have a new primary care dr now. as i mentioned i had just gotten over a bad cold and did take some zicam and some over the counter meds to help with the congestion. i am seeing a urologist on the 15th of may.

Post Edited (ROY1) : 4/25/2017 12:59:03 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 4/25/2017 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome to HW,

First PSA isn't a test for cancer. Since you're posting here I assume that's your concern. In general PSA due to PC doesn't have wild up and down swings - tends to just move upward.

Before thinking PC, you need to check all other things that can raise you PSA. Prostatitis is a common cause and can be difficult to diagnose and treat. Antibiotics might not be effective. BPH (enlarged prostate), sex before the test, bike riding or just a bad day at the lab can all lead to high PSA numbers.

In your case you have a mystery. Have you been seen by a urologist for this? You should get everything else checked out and get a DRE. A PSA retest is in order to rule out lab error. The blood draw when your healthy (no cold) and abstain from sex for 48 hours beforehand.

It is possible that after a retest and an exam that URO might recommend a biopsy, but you need to check all other causes before doing that.

Andrew
Posted 4/25/2017 8:34 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome...

7.2 to over 20 in 11 months is a very sharp rise. I would see a good Urologist as soon as you can schedule. There is no way to know exactly what it is and it could be false or not. PLEASE do not do what I did and many do - be in denial and look for all sorts of things it could or couldn't be. Its NOT worth the mental energy.

Good luck!

TC327
Posted 4/25/2017 9:08 PM (GMT 0)
A large sudden PSA spike like that usually indicates prostatitis. Sometimes, in a minority of cases, antibiotics will suppress prostatitis (they do NOT mask prostate cancer.) Because they are often ineffective and there is growing resistance to antibiotics, many urologists do not like to prescribe them. Prostatitis usually relapses and remits, so if you wait a few months before a retest, chances are it will go back down on its own.

There is another biochemical test called Prostate Health Index (PHI) that is less sensitive to prostatitis and BPH. It is cheap and usually covered by insurance. It dampens the effect of PSA somewhat by only using the square root of PSA, but because your PSA shot up 3 fold, it will inflate your PHI by 1.7X even if it was only due to prostatitis.

I don't think a cold would affect it (sex and bike riding might).
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