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Posted 10/2/2018 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
I originally had a 4.8 at 58 yrs old. In 6 months it jumped to 6.9 and then 3 months later it fell to 4.53. 12 months later it was 5.6. today I had blood drawn and doctor said it it came back over 6.0 we might do a biopsy. Any input would be appreciated. thanks
Posted 10/2/2018 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
You should ask for a PHI (prostate health index) test. It might provide more information.

PSA due to PC doesn't bounce around like that. PSA due to prostatitis can bounce like that. You might have some BPH or other inflammation that is pushing up the PSA.

It might be time to do a biopsy, but that's a tough call. Let us know what the test results are.

Andrew
Posted 10/2/2018 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
I agree do anything you can to narrow it down before the Biopsy. But if nothing else I would suggest doing the Biopsy. The biopsy is not a big thing IMHO and would give you some level of comfort if it came back negative. You need to understand though that there is really NO way to know for sure if there is cancer in the prostate other than taking it out and then doing the lab work.

It is also my understanding that several things can drive PSA at the same time. You could have some PCa that is causing a general slow rise in PSA and some other issue that is causing additional PSA that is fluctuating.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Roger
Posted 10/2/2018 10:03 AM (GMT 0)
I did have a biopsy at 4.8 originally and it was clear. I will let you know when i get new results! thanks
Posted 10/2/2018 10:14 AM (GMT 0)
Many of us have been in similar situation with different outcomes. BHP, or prostatitis included. It would be good to make some additional check (other markers, or even a mpMRI). Biopsies are too messy and they often miss the tumor, though a positive biopsy is needed to treat.
Posted 10/3/2018 12:37 AM (GMT 0)
Ok I got my results today and it was a 5.06 psa. They said they would see me in a year. He did state I was elevated. Any input will be appreciated!
Posted 10/3/2018 2:24 AM (GMT 0)
so that was lower.

PSA due to PC generally doesn't behave like that. Inflammation/prostatitis does.

I think you'd be fine to watch and wait. You might ask if they retest in six months if you're concerned.

Andrew
Posted 10/3/2018 3:28 AM (GMT 0)
Were you ever given any anti biotics for prostatitis...was prostatitis ever mentioned by your doctor...Has this doctor ever performed a digital rectal exam...why are you and the respondants so blasé about a 58 y/o man with a psa 04.8...perhaps it is because I do not have all the data...I personally think If a person has questions and wants answers and advice from an internet forum...and said internet forum provides an avenue for that information to be shared on every post ...the said person has a responsibility to use that avenue...Im old fashion that way... there is something going on and for a doctor to just kiss it off with a "its elevated and see ya in a year" is disturbing....but so it goes 10/02/2018...good luck in your journey

PS I also think most of the new tests are cash cows...take a test...ok now take this test...umm ya better take this one now...if you are concerned...get a biopsy...the trauma is highly over rated...I did check on your last 10 posts most of them being over 10 mos ago and some longer....that could explain the blasé of some...I don't blame them...but again Im old fashion that way...its difficult to get concerned when the threader shows a somewhat blasé concern himself...see ya in a year or so...
Posted 10/3/2018 7:10 PM (GMT 0)
Bacteria is certainly a possibility, especially if you have a leaky gut. Inflammation makes PSA go up. That's why antibiotics often bring PSA down, but taking antibiotics is not the answer. You might look up anti-inflammatory foods and supplements and try working them into your diet and see if that helps stabilize your PSA.

My last MRI showed no cancer, but prostatitis and BPH. My PSA is all over the place, but tends to come back down when I am careful with diet and take appropriate supplements. Urologists are not very good at recommending diet or supplements, so maybe your regular doctor can help (although that's unlikely too). You will probably need to do the research yourself.
Posted 10/3/2018 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
I also have an up and down PSA history. My uro recommended a biopsy after a year of observation because he just had a "gut" feeling. He wanted a few data points and hope to drop the high and low score sort of like figure skating judging. To this day, my PSA has been called "dynamic"! Freakin great. It seems so far your PSA lives around 5 ish. Even for me who struggles with the biopsy process in terms of post biopsy fever spikes, I am ok with the procedure and it isn't as bad as it sounds.
Posted 10/4/2018 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
I definitely suffered with prostatitis and a much enlarged prostate( 106 gms at time of surgery). Both of those items can raise PSA and it can go up and down according to how inflamed the prostate is. Also bike riding and sex can spike it up there.

But the difference with mine is: mine never failed to increase over a 10-15 year period. No ups and downs. It turned out i for sure had a bad cancer along with my other prostate problems. I wish I had my biopsy sooner. But again, my PSA never turned around and went the other way, so that is different. Even antibiotics had no effect. The only time mine went down was during the 2 months waiting on my surgery, after I did a bunch of things rumored to be helpful, it went down from 11 to 8. But that was the ONLY time mine failed to go up.
Posted 10/4/2018 10:28 PM (GMT 0)

InTheShop said...
You might ask if they retest in six months if you're concerned.

Andrew

I second that suggestion: six months.

Let's say you were to wait one year and the result came back, uh, 5.93. Wouldn't it be helpful to know whether at six months it was > or < that level, so you could tell whether the PSA was continuing to bounce or was now steadily trending up? It's a cheap, easy test. That would be my call.

BTW, be sure to keep using the same lab and the same protocol. I noticed some of your prior PSA results were carried out to one decimal place, others to two.
Posted 10/5/2018 1:16 AM (GMT 0)
I think you should definitely have a mpMRI. The technology is pretty good now, even if it isn't perfect. A biopsy being random in nature can miss cancer and is sufficiently invasive and has some risk.
Posted 10/5/2018 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for everyone 's responses! I am obviously worried, but I have been biopsied when I was at 4.8. Every psa has been carried to two decimals but I have kinda rounded. I don't mean to be blase, because I have had a uncle and cousn who have had prostate cancer. The doctor has not mentioned prostatitis or inflamation. He said if i stay between 5.5 and 4.5 range he thinks I'm alright. Thanks
Posted 10/5/2018 11:41 PM (GMT 0)
Hey if you are happy we are happy ...are you happy with the situation as is...I think you need to get a new doctor....I accept the fact that you are not blasé...but I think your doctor is blasé to the max and is quite lazy and does not have your best interest in his heart...my apologies for being hard on you...we do have your best interest ain our hearts...Maybe I'm overthinking the problem Your doctor thinks you will be allright..I don't know but if it was me I would get some second opinions and not from an internet forum but from the medical system,,,yep the same system that produced your present doctor...lits called luck of the draw,,,thankfully you can keep drawing...good luck keep us in the loop...read up on this disease yourself ...stickynotes have a reading list...check it out
Posted 10/6/2018 11:53 AM (GMT 0)
I agree with Rich go get another test in 6 months enjoy life in the mean time!

Larry
Posted 10/11/2018 7:58 PM (GMT 0)
My PSA to jumped around and about 5 years ago when it first jumped I was put on antibiotics and it came down, then for the next couple years it increased a little each year. Last year it made a small jump and the URO had me retested and it dropped a little so we let it go. This August it had jumped again to 5.1 and there was no longer any talk other than a Biopsy and it did find 5% positive in one core.
Now I am going back every 3 months to see if the jumps slow down over the next year or not, if not back to another Biopsy so see if the first one might have missed something worse than a 6, so we wait and see now.
Have to admit it has been a couple of scary months but I feel like I have a mental grasp of it now, the wife not so much.
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