I had my physical exam/results today. Unfortunately, my PSA went up
significantly.
It is 4.01.
Here is the historical data:
08/09 4.01
3/8 2.90
04/07 2.72 FREE PSA: 31%
11/06 3.1
7/06 2.67
2-05 2.2 (after DRE)
3-04 2.15
2-03 2.0
11-01 2.1
10-00 2
10-99 1.7
10-98 1.6
10-97 1.5
10-96 1.3
6-95 1.2
I need to repeat the test in about 2 months (sound familiar) along with a
free psa.
You will notice that from 2/05-11/06, I also had a huge increase. That was
over 40%.
This increase from 3/08-8/09 is less, but it is disconcerting.
Also, I have had some urinary symptoms (weak stream at times), and this time
the urine test found minimal blood (3-4 cells). My doctor and I both lean
towards BPH (all this is consistent with that -- I do have BPH problems).
Suggestions? I think repeating the test is a good first step, but if it
results in the same result, then what? Seems to be in a grey area?
Mel
>I had my physical exam/results today. Unfortunately, my PSA went up
>significantly.
>
>It is 4.01.
A PSA of 4.01 is essentially normal (the usual figure for the top of
the normal range is 4.0). The rise could be due to developing BPH.
Best,
Bob
Robert A. Fink, M. D.
Neurological Surgery
2500 Milvia Street Suite 222
Berkeley, CA 94704-2636 USA
510-849-2555
**********************************
NOTE: The material above is not "medical
advice". Medical advice can only be
given after an in-person contact between
doctor and patient.
**********************************
Curernt research seems to imply if you look for cancer in men as they
age, you may well find it. But given current treatments, the USA study
showed a slightly higher mortality rate among those treated after 10 years,
and a slightly lower rate in the European study, with the net result of
zero. The press jumped on the European study and ignored the USA one.....
The articles were (are?) all available in full on the Web so you can read
them yourself. Maybe a good undergraduate course in data processing would
help here, but the graphs were easy to understand.
===> hi mel - here's what the researchers say....
a normal health prostate usually has a psa level of less than 1.0
as men age, the prostate changes and the psa will rise...
a .75 rise in your psa level in a one year period is a warning sign and
could be a sign of aggresive pca.
do you have it? i don't know. but it certainly does require a more in
depth investigation as to what is causing the rise in such a short
order.
hope this information helps.
~ curtis
knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."
http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc