Re test PSA Results--- I don't get it

I would say it's hard to say. Obviously, your prior test of 0.05 is less than 0.06, so your retest is likely accurate. I suppose the entire time you were having tests with a 0.1 cut off, it's possible you could have been floating around below that value. Theoretically, you should have remained at 0.0. But who knows?

Really, all you can do is retest in three months.

I hear ya Go Bucks-- I guess my biggest worry is that my PSA tests are not saying .02 The .05 is new to me and I worry alot.....am I worrying too much?

GoBucks said...
I'd say you are good. <0.06 can be the same as 0.05. Why change labs?

it also could be lower. i'd say the "<" means you are undetectable

In the Shop--- seriously think I have no signif issue yet??

My last test <.06 and supposedly the ultra sensitive test

I think you are ok. If the PSA of 0.05 is accurate, which I doubt, you would have an incredibly slow growing cancer (0.02 to 0.05 over a 6 year period). The test variability with values this low when using different labs makes your values very difficult to interpret. I agree with In the Shop.....I think you are ok.

Paul

.05 is less than .06 which is less than .1

The "<", "less than" simply means the limits of the test. a "<.06" means that the test can't measure PSA values below .06

Test methods and sensitivities change form lab to lab which is causing you confusion. Trying to compare results from different assay methods will lead to confusion and heartburn.

You're fine, your doc will say, you're fine. Stick with a single lab and test method.

In The Shop--- I will take your advice and stick to a single lab----

Thanks-- Yes, he must have slipped up or the lab did the wrong test I guess.

I'll ask him on Friday!

😉

There are going to be wide ranging opinions on this. Your PSA may have been bouncing around under the 0.1 threshold for years, but it may not have been. Recurrence 8 or 10 years after RP is not uncommon. My anxiety would be reduced in your situation by using the most sensitive PSA test available every 3 months. For other guys, it might Jack up their anxiety. I like to have the best available information. Do what works best for you.

Craig,

Some thoughts about PSA, and I'm going to put on my professional hat for a moment.

As an analytical chemist, there is a huge misunderstanding by the public about what the numbers mean--especially what the pesky "<" means. With every analysis, there is a reality--usually unstated--that there is unavoidable error in the reading. This uncertainty, when it is expressed, is expressed in terms of a +/- value known as the limit of precision. By definition, it is 1 standard deviation of the statistical function that compares the "true" value to the range of measured value.

The "<" is similar: it is an expression that states that the method used, no matter what it is, is only sensitive to a specified value. It is possible to actually GET a reading that is below the sensitivity point--but it is considered meaningless because it may or may not be an artifact.

The key learning is that there are a number of different PSA tests out there, each has a defined sensitivity (Limit of precision), and a defined low limit of detection. There is a lot of published discussion about what very low readings mean..and what the trigger for action should be. There are some serious researchers who suggest that ANY change above non-detectable, if confirmed by 2 tests some period of time apart, should be a call to action.

IMO, that really depends on how proficient the lab tech who is operating the machine is, and how well-maintained it is. If we keep lowering the theoretical limits (currently my numbers are reported as <0.006), then at some point we will be approaching the measurement of 1 molecule of the PSA antigen in a volume of blood. Is that meaningful? I'm not sure.

I also go to City of Hope in Lancaster. My URO was happy with a floor reading of <.1. I was not happy with that. Is <.1 actually .09? I went to Primex lab and asked for their ultra PSA test. I wanted to know if it was advancing before it hit .1. There is possible .02 variability with the uPSA test. My trend went up then down with a max of .08. With clear margins you are fine. I decided I would do nothing unless it hit .1. Then I would test again in 3 months. Also look up:: Dr Myers " when recurrent PCa is not cancer"