Newest member on quest for PCa Research

Hey Magic,

Almost all of us here were diagnosed as the result of a biopsy. While it is not perfect, it seems to be the best way to find out if you have cancer because the pathologist can "see" the cells. I had two because the first one showed some suspicious areas but were not definitely cancer. The second concentrated on these suspicious areas and found cancer in both lobes. Both of my biopsies were 12 cores.

I have never heard that a biopsy can cause or spread cancer. My only after effect was bloody semen for about a month post-biopsy.

Please stay with us...

Jim

Magic:

You have come to a good forum to inquire.  One thing I could suggest if you have not already had one is the "free" PSA - anything below 19% would be a reason to check further.  Your family history makes you 3X as likely to have Pca at some time in your life with the father/brother connection.

I know of two men who used the color doppler - one to see location of cancer to determine his treatment choice and the other to decide about biopsy.   Both were satisfied with the results.

Good luck in your research.

Dutch

Hi ~ Magic 55,   This was a great concern for me… when the biopsy was scheduled!!   ~ so I know the feelings you are having!   It was the first question we presented to our urologist…. And after discussing things thoroughly… we walked away knowing this was our best shot at confirming and moving forward to be free of this cancer.   We are adding a few   ** Excerpts from Dr. Walsh’s book.   Sending it for your knowledge base as you continue to research.     Your   Decision   is   Your   Decision!! And it will be the right decision for you!   Being mentally prepared as well as physically prepared is essential in moving forward!   This is a prime example of having options.   Having the other scans available to add to your personal “foundation” in monitoring will definitely be a mental plus for you.   We all have to do what we feel is the best path for “us”.     This forum allows us to share experiences and you have the option to pull from all or none or a few from here and/or a few from there!!!   It truly is a warm place to be.   It also makes the world smaller…   Saskatchewan!!   My cousin lives in Topkins…   We’re glad you found "all" of us!   Our thoughts and prayers will be with you as you move forward in your path to find answers. In New Friendship ~ Lee & Buddy   ** Excerpts taken from a wonderful book called “ Dr. Patrick C. Walsh’s “Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer” by: Patrick C. Walsh, M.D. and Janet Farrar Worthington.   Copyright 2001…..       **   When prostate cancer is small and curable, it is also silent—it produces no symptoms.     Chapter 6 Page 139-140 ** If I Have Cancer, Will the Biopsy Spread It? This is an excellent question, and a very common fear.   It just makes sense, doesn’t it, that if you poke a hole in a wall that’s holding back cancer, the cancer might escape.   Doctors have worried about this, too, in many forms of cancer.   But the good news is that there is no evidence that this has ever happened, or that it could happen.   Think about it:   Almost every cancer you can think of—breast, colon, lung, prostate—is diagnosed by biopsy.   If the biopsy itself could spread cancer, then the whole concept of early diagnosis and treatment wouldn’t work.   But many thousands of people—all of whom had initial biopsies to confirm what they had—have been cured of cancer.   ** But what if some cancer cells escape into my bloodstream?   Well, they may.   In fact, the more we learn about cancer in the prostate and elsewhere, the more we understand that the circulation of cancer cells in the blood is probably a fairly common event—even in cancers that are curable.   And it’s not unreasonable to assume that a few more cancer cells may find their way to the bloodstream when the tumor is manipulated, as it is during a biopsy.   The key is the stage of your cancer.   When cancer is confined to the prostate, even if a few cells escape into the blood, they won’t survive.   This is because they haven’t yet gotten the hang of living outside the area where they developed.   But over time, cancer cells change with age.   They get more aggressive, and they become, in many ways, “smarter.”   They not only move to distant sites, but have the wherewithal to thrive in these new locations as well.   So there are two different issues:   One is the presence of cancer cells in the blood; the other is the survival of these cells in distant locations.   Prostate cancer cells are simply unable to live outside their normal environment until they develop this ability, called metastatic capability.

Hello:

I would encourage you to get the biopsy - just because you PSA is low, does not mean you're clear.  My husband's PSA was only 3.74 and he was confirmed with prostate cancer at the age of 44 - better safe than sorry I say.

Good luck to you.

Swim - Thanks for the advice and the websites. There is a lot of good reading here.

Reading your post & the replies jogged my memory.  My December biopsy was my 2nd one. First one in July 05 showed something "suspicious" and urologist even said they may be "pre-cancerous, but didn't know.  Told me to wait 6 months, which turned into a year and a half until I had the 2nd one which produced cancer diagnosis.

I was put to sleep with both biopsies and didn't remember a thing except rolling over.  I get the idea some of the people here were not put to sleep. I think I like going to sleep and not remembering.

Gene