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0.06 well that's probably not good

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Posted 3/19/2020 8:23 PM (GMT 0)
Back at forum again looking for support. I haven't been here for awhile so alot of new names.

Just got my 6 month psa back and lost the <. Now at 0.06

Jeez I didn't need this on top of the anxiety already floating around. Now a wait for 3 months... Uro... is hopeful it's benign cells. Who knows.
Posted 3/19/2020 8:37 PM (GMT 0)
no that's not the best thing. But before you can panic, you need a few rising PSA readings to be sure bad things are happening.

A single test, while concerning, it could be a test error, or something. You'll want to get that confirmed. If you see a rising trend over a number of tests, then you've got something you don't want.

It won't be easy, but wait for that next test and see what it shows.
Keep us updated on your progress.
Andrew
Posted 3/19/2020 8:57 PM (GMT 0)
A 7 year run is great. Probably need 3 tests in a row to determine trend. Assume you always use the same lab, right?
Posted 3/19/2020 9:01 PM (GMT 0)
This is another example of someone who has had RP and SRT, yet they are on a uPSA test for no good reason. Too young, I hope your Uro is correct and your PSA is bobbing around detectable/undetectable. As Andrew stated, the only thing you can do continue testing to see what happens.

Good luck to you!
Posted 3/19/2020 10:36 PM (GMT 0)
Mattam, Why would leading centers of excellence in cancer treatment be testing folks in this category with uPSA if there was no good reason? Perhaps I misinterpreted your point.

TooYoung, welcome back, I understand your concern and wish you all the best for your next test.
Posted 3/19/2020 10:39 PM (GMT 0)

mattam said...
This is another example of someone who has had RP and SRT, yet they are on a uPSA test for no good reason.


mattam, my MO agrees with you. He's left the decision up to me and I've continued to ask for uPSA, but says no need for anything more sensitive than 0.13. Maybe I should rethink this.
Posted 3/19/2020 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
AJMan,
Not all centers do. Some use the standard test. At TY's stage of treatment it serves no purpose and can possibly generate unnecessary anxiety.
Posted 3/19/2020 11:29 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for comments. Still processing it. One minute I think fine I can do this. Next minute slight panic.

uPSA vs PSA not ideal situation. He said that is the lab that has contract for entire region. He agrees not ideal. Will do 3 month tests for now on and see what happens.... velocity etc. He's using 0.2 as official reoccurrence but even likely not do anything but watch for awhile.
Just a wait and see. Anxiety... you bet.
Posted 3/19/2020 11:47 PM (GMT 0)
"Will do 3 month tests for now on and see what happens.... velocity etc. He's using 0.2 as official reoccurrence but even likely not do anything but watch for awhile."

Your Uro seems to be on the ball, which as we have seen all too often on HW, isn't always the case. Even if your PSA continues upwards, it could be years before you require further treatment.
Posted 3/19/2020 11:58 PM (GMT 0)

Several times, my PSA has fluctuated up and down by hundredths, from time to time.

Any uptick, even slight, causes all of us fellows to experience what is nicknamed PSA anxiety ... I relate, I connect, I understand.

Interesting to note ... at renowned Mayo Clinic, they only assess above and below 0.10.

Anything below 0.10 on their PSA scale is listed as undetectable.

My local oncologist has me do a PSA test every month, so I deal with the fluctuations, both up and down, from month to month.

It's like getting a season pass to the amusement park - with unlimited free rides on the roller coaster.

Stay vigilant, stay proactive, stay positive!
Iowa State University CYCLONE
Posted 3/20/2020 11:10 AM (GMT 0)
tooyoung4this, Sorry to hear about the uptick hopefully it's just some bouncing around. I don't want to start the debate again about the uPSA but when the Doctors at Mayo Clinic tell me there is no need for it I'm not gonna argue. Now here comes an interesting side note with all the hospitals and clinic's cancelling appointments and elective surgeries I'm really curious how many psa checks will be cancelled or changed from 3 months to 6 or longer and will uPSA become a thing of the past except in a trial? I got a email from Mayo yesterday telling me that there is a possibility that some of my appointments that I have the last week of April might be cancelled. As many of the experts are saying this crisis is something that none of us have experienced in our lifetimes and none of us can predict what will happen but I'll tell you it's darn scary!! I have a granddaughter that was studying in Australia with UMD who is now trying to get home we think she made it to California but not sure, My grandson's mom is a lead nurse in the emergency dept. at a major hospital in Minneapolis, St. Paul who has been designated the main hospital for the virus, they are already overfilled with people and one of the staff has tested positive. She is bringing up my Grandson today I'll be watching him for a while because she doesn't know when she will be able to see him again as they have told her it's gonna get bad at the hospital and they are going to need everybody! Our son is still working in the twin cities but they have both decided they want him up here in Northern MN where thankfully as far as we know the virus hasn't hit yet. Scary times and has I have been telling people that the world will never be the same as it was 2 months ago I now have changed that to the world will now never be the same it was 2 weeks ago. I think if we all do our part and work together we can come out of this stronger then we were before and we will forget about all the craph that our world thinks is important and get back to what's really important! I apologize for kinda going off subject. Larry


P.S. didn't want to forget about the great group of people that are left that were alive during the depression very small group now, Maybe our generation will be known 50 yrs from now as the greatest generation?
Posted 3/20/2020 11:11 AM (GMT 0)
Just wondering, since it's been a while since I've been reading here... is there any g9's in a similar spot where it bounced up and then back down? And what are the chances of benign prostate cells surviving surgery and radiation to have accumulated enough to make a difference?
Long night last night... had time to think.
Posted 3/20/2020 2:30 PM (GMT 0)
3 months is too long for a retest. If the lab report is wrong, why live with all that anxiety for 3 months.

Given your pathology it is extremely unlikely this is benign cells.
Posted 3/20/2020 2:46 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Duck.
Ask for retest in two weeks, two weeks is considered a valid wait period between tests.
Although, if your PSADT longer, it may not go up much if at all.
Maybe wait a month, then your doc will get a better feel.
I do once a month testing, I am BCR.
Posted 3/20/2020 3:11 PM (GMT 0)
It was one year ago on Feb. 5, 2019 when I had RALP. Over the year, my PSA went from <0.06 to 0,06, 0.08 and one month later to 0.09. I am now on 6 months of ADT and 8 weeks of radiation starting May 4th. My surgeon was against doing anything but my MO from Dana Farber Boston said it was time to take action.
Posted 3/20/2020 3:59 PM (GMT 0)
tooyoung, I don't see why your PSA would bounce after surgery (and being off ADT in addition). Don't confuse a post-SRT PSA increase with a bounce seen after RT for primary treatment. If your PSA is confirmed as currently rising, I suggest you discuss with your docs how to identify the location of lesions going forward. Oligometastatic PCa (1-5 lesions) is now recognized as a distinct disease state that is treatable. Diagnosis may entail advanced imaging when PSA is sufficiently high, irradiation of lesions (location permitting), and ADT at some point. More frequent uPSA testing should let you determine your velocity as well as current level.

Labcorp states their uPSA, 3-decimal test is for "post-prostatectomy" tracking. It is ideal for high- and very-high risk men. In addition to an early heads-up for possible BCR, you also get additional data points to calculate the rate of rise.

The 3-decimal also affords BCR-risk prediction for the lower risk categories when applied to the post-RP nadir. This prediction is lost to RP men who are followed after their RP with the pre-treatment, screening PSA test (<0.1) during which time their nadir is lost.

Djin
Posted 3/20/2020 10:28 PM (GMT 0)

FranPro said...
It was one year ago on Feb. 5, 2019 when I had RALP. Over the year, my PSA went from <0.06 to 0,06, 0.08 and one month later to 0.09. I am now on 6 months of ADT and 8 weeks of radiation starting May 4th. My surgeon was against doing anything but my MO from Dana Farber Boston said it was time to take action.


Good decision, FranPro. Very familiar story: surgeon wants to wait till 0.2, RO&MO say it's time for salvage. Been there myself. You'll do fine.
Posted 3/21/2020 9:33 AM (GMT 0)
I am 13 years out and have had quite a journey with a pesky G6... I always ask for the uPSA as I like to chart and graph... smile Bouncing between 0.20 and 0.30 right now... actually kind of "stable" in that range for the last few years... Doc says if it ever rises to the 2 level, hormones will be added to the treatment... PSA tests cause no anxiety for me.

Story and journey in the signature...

pasayten
Posted 3/21/2020 4:34 PM (GMT 0)

pasayten said...
PSA tests cause no anxiety for me.
Story and journey in the signature...

Yeah, ditto for me. Haven't been able to shake PSA, after either surgery, or SRT plus Lupron and Casodex.

Getting uPSA every two or three months, and just watching trend. We all need to find our own comfort level.
Posted 3/22/2020 10:16 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks for comments guys. I'll be honest... I'm really not looking forward to HT again and g9 is scaring me.

I'm trying to get some more info from dr.s but with this Covid19 they are only doing phone consults now. And I'm not really an emergency.
Uro did give me his email if I had questions but I don't know what ask at this point.
Likely will have to wait the 3 months to retest.
Posted 3/22/2020 11:36 AM (GMT 0)
The labs are open, all he has to do is send the order.
Posted 3/22/2020 3:08 PM (GMT 0)

Hello, TooYoung4This,

Our emotional well-being is important, too.

As a fellow comrade, I can sense this is on your mind. It's important to know, I do understand ...

To put your mind at ease, and get some answers, I would request a new PSA soon ... as others have suggested here.

My doctor has me do labs, every four weeks. At first, I honestly felt this was overzealous. But, in retrospect, I see it as proactive.

For my case, it helps track trends. It has led to decisions to begin a different treatment. At other times, it has helped assess stability and the efficacy of new treatments I have needed ... namely, a different form of ADT, the decision to pursue a series of chemotherapy infusions, a series of radiation treatments, and the effectiveness of ZYTIGA.

My comrade --- you are experiencing some understandable anxiety, based on your posts. We have ALL been there, trust me.

My humble advice - one brother to another brother - contact your doctor and ask for a new, updated PSA test. It builds data, so that future decisions can be made, going forward.

Taking this simple action will make you feel more proactive AND informed --- and there's power in that.

We're in this together -- none of us fight alone.

Just some thoughts, one brother to another ---
Iowa State University CYCLONE
Posted 3/22/2020 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Cyclone thanks.
I'm in a slightly different situation than most. I work shift work month home month away (and made essential now). Scheduled to leave tomorrow or Tuesday (depending on flights now due to Covid 19) so things up in the air a little. So looking at at least a month. In a weird way, it gives me a month of maybe. If I did another test and same, not sure I'd be able to leave.
I think I need time to prepare.

I remember some of my research from a few years ago so I understand where I am. I had just hoped I had it beat.
Posted 3/23/2020 12:01 AM (GMT 0)
tooyoung - you don’t know anything for sure yet so hang in there. The next PSA in a month or at three months will go a ways towards telling you where you are at or heading. Because you have had surgery and radiation, the next PSA timing is meaningless except the longer you wait for the next test, the more important the value becomes as a guide thus a 3 month PSA makes sense to me and seems to fit better for you.

On the other hand, if your anxiety is getting the better of you, you have to decide how you will feel if the PSA is less, equal, or greater than the 0.06 value since anything could happen in 30 days just due to testing variances. You will not do anything with this knowledge either way since you will keep testing every three months for a while now and it will be some time before any actions can be taken if needed. As a similar G9, I know the next PSA always sucks since the chance of one coming up detectable is always there. I see no reason to hurry them along nor to worry about values under 0.10. Enough anxiety in the world now for me.
Posted 3/26/2020 2:44 AM (GMT 0)

TooYoung4This ---

Diagnosed in my 40s, we will always be comrades and compatriots ...

I just wanted you to know that I am always sending you 100% of my encouragement and support.

We're in this together and I will keep watching for your future posts.

Comradeship, from "one brother to another brother" ---
Iowa State University CYCLONE
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