Prostatic cancer (again) - sci.med

Message from discussion Prostatic cancer (again)
Path: gmdzi!unido!mcsun!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!swrinde!mips!wdl1!wdl30!ekman
From: ek...@wdl30.wdl.loral.com (Donald Ekman)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Prostatic cancer (again)
Summary: I have conflicting test results
Keywords: PSA, micro-mets
Message-ID: <1991Aug18.021910.1183@wdl1.wdl.loral.com>
Date: 18 Aug 91 02:19:10 GMT
Sender: n...@wdl1.wdl.loral.com
Organization: Loral Western Development Labs
Lines: 16
Originator: ekman@wdl30

I have been diagnosed as having prostatic cancer.  Biopsy was positive on
both sides.  The curious thing is that although a PSA reading of 138 was
found (normal range is 0-4), neither the CAT scan nor the bone scan showed
any metastatic involvement of other soft tissue or bone structure.  
Statistically, a PSA reading this high is nearly always indicative of
metastasis.

I have gone back for a second PSA test, but don't yet have the results.
Meanwhile, does anyone have real knowledge of the reliability of the PSA
test and the possible causes of false positives?  Or is it likely that I
have micro-mets that are simply too small to show up on the scans?

Thanks,
Don
-- 
Donald E. Ekman, Space Systems/Loral, Palo Alto, CA  ek...@wdl30.wdl.loral.com