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Posted 4/16/2015 4:36 PM (GMT 0)
Hi to the forum. 55 Y/O MALE
As previously posted my PSA LEVELS WERE AS FOLLOWS-
6/12- 1.5
8/13-1.65
09/14-2.5
11/14-3.0
YESTERDAY-
psa-2.78
free psa-.69
free psa %-25.0
symptoms-frequent urination,nocturia
Based on my last post Before yesterday results most of you guys felt it was consistent with BPH.....PC UNLIKELY BASED ON MY NUMBERS- BIOPSY PREMATURE AT THIS POINT?
Posted 4/16/2015 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
so your PSA dropped slightly? What was your doctor's opinion?

yup, I see no reason for a biopsy. Unless you like needles shoved up your backside...

I'd be very surprised if you have anything other than BPH.

But then, I am not a doctor, just a random guy on the internet.

Andrew
Posted 4/16/2015 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
DrBill,

Is your doctor suggesting a biopsy? Based on what you have told us here it doesn't seem needed but none of us here are doctors and your doctor may know things about you that you have forgotten to tell us.

Still, it seems sensible to go with the presumption for now that your problem is BPH and treat that while continuing to monitor for additional prostate cancer warning signs.

Has you doctor mentioned your prostate being enlarged? If so has he talked to you about Avodart?
Posted 4/16/2015 6:21 PM (GMT 0)
I am sorry i failed to mention my appt with uro is next tuesday... i have been diagnosed with enlarged prostate 2 yrs ago and have tried all the smooth muscle drugs but always get tachy from them- increased heart rate. i heard the shrinkage drugs cause false psa readings and possible sexual issues??
Posted 4/16/2015 10:11 PM (GMT 0)
Based on your statistics posted I would keep watching and getting digital rectal exams and PSA tests. You can always request an ultrasound to measure your prostate and then calculate PSA density. But you should be aware that PSA and even fPSA only informs you of a potential problem (infection, inflammation, BPH, cancer, etc.) and only a biopsy can determine if cancer is present. Of course biopsy cores can miss a region with cancer leading to a false sense of security.

One important question, does anyone in your family been diagnosed with prostate cancer? If so then I would consider getting a biopsy.
Posted 4/17/2015 9:39 PM (GMT 0)
drbill1-

The "shrinkage" drugs - Finasteride/Proscar or dutasteride/Avodart - don't cause false PSA readings, they do just the opposite. They cause truer PSA readings - that is, they are a truer reflection of PC because they reduce the influence of BPH (enlarged prostate) on the readings. This is what you want to occur. It "resets the baseline PSA" so you have to ignore the pattern from previous readings and just go with them from that point on. Then, if they go up, a biopsy is definitely called for.

about 20% of men get sexual SEs from them. If you do, you can back off of them.

You can also get another blood test called PHI, which is more accurate than PSA or % free PSA and includes both. Here's the link:

Prostate Health Index (PHI)

- Allen
Posted 4/20/2015 4:45 PM (GMT 0)
thank you for all the advice. I am going to recomend to my uro the finasteride esp. if the blockage of conversion to DHT will occur. It makes sense that the drug would be a good starting point of PSA. What is interesting is that exactly one yr agomy PSA WAS 2.5 AND free PSA Wwas 27% Now it is 2.78 AND 25%. pretty constant to me...I called my dad uro in florida and when he was 72 he had his prostate removed- NO CANCER. He passed last mo at 93.......seems like i am just taking after him but since i was a bodybuilder on steroids i am getting symtpoms earlier than he did!
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