psa readings

psa readings

User

Posted 23 Oct 2015 at 12:34

i would welcome any comments/further questions

please see my profile for activity since being diagnosed in october 2008.

Edited by member 15 May 2018 at 13:08 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 19:29

2 of the things to avoid before a PSA test are :-

"Ejaculation can raise levels. Some doctors recommend you sustain from sexual activity for 2 days prior to lab testing

Bicycle riding may raise levels (due to seat pressure on the prostate)"

There are other factors that can give rise to increased PSA which one cannot prepare for as you are doubtless aware. Sorry, can't answer about possible effect of fasting prior to PSA, perhaps your GP could advise.

As regards your future journey, I think any speculation here would be so vague and uninformed as to be unhelpful because different types of cancer can advance/mutate at different speeds in individuals. Sometimes it does not develop sufficiently to warrant any/further treatment at any point whereas sometimes it can develop quickly, perhaps in steps, to the point that an appropriate treatment is recommended. Even your consultant, who is in the best position to give an opinion as he/she knows your case best and has the advantage of intimately knowing many case histories and studies, may well struggle to provide a helpful answer to your question at this early stage.

Edited by member 18 Oct 2016 at 13:38 | Reason: Not specified

Barry

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 23:59

It will often depend on the speed that the PSA is rising Junior. Some hospitals start treatment again when the PSA gets to 2, others wait until 5 or 10. I think you have to see the last few years as a hormone holiday and be prepared to go back on the hormones at some point to get everything back under control. We have members here who have been able to control the cancer very well for many years (even longer than you have already done!) by starting & stopping the hormone treatment.

Your nurse may be able to tell you what PSA level would trigger going back on the hormones, or you might have to wait to discuss it at your next consultant appointment.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 18 Oct 2016 at 08:32

Junior

My Oncologist signed me off and told me to keep having my PSA tests every 6 months and not to worry about ups and downs and to make an appointment again if the PSA reaches 2.0.

Gary

Edited by member 18 Oct 2016 at 08:33 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 18 Oct 2016 at 09:26

Junior

Since I came off HT last February I see the oncologist every 4 months, she said as long as it doesn't reach 2 she's not too concerned

Arthur

User

Posted 06 Jun 2017 at 15:00

i had a full body scan on 23/05/2017 and have just be advised by the oncology nurse that the results have shown nothing to be concerned about.

i will now continue with the psa checks starting with the next one w/b 24/07/2017 and 6-monthly thereafter.

could have been a lot worse i think (i.e. cancer spreading to bone).

thanks to everyone for their moral support.

User

Posted 06 Sep 2017 at 13:33

Hi Junior, fingers crossed the PSA is fairly stable this time.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 25 Sep 2017 at 18:14

Hi Junior,

I am of the thought that with a Gleason score of 4+5 I would be looking to go

back on Hormones before the next PSA test at six months ,

I would ask for a monthly test

(CHECK MY PROFILE}

Good luck

Barry

Edited by member 25 Sep 2017 at 18:38 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 25 Sep 2017 at 23:36

hi Junior, the rate of rise is fairly stable but 6 months does seem a long time to wait so I am surprised that the MDT suggested it. You might be under one of the hospitals that waits until the PSA rises to 20 before re-starting hormone treatment. Do you have a nurse specialist allocated to you? If so, could you phone him/her to ask whether 3 months might be better for the next test just to keep an eye on it.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 26 Sep 2017 at 12:31

That makes more sense, Junior. A lot of turkey and wine has never been raised as having an impact on PSA - happy Christmas!

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 27 Apr 2018 at 15:59

I think your urologist will probably pass you over to an oncologist for further treatment. You would be well advised to remove your real name and phone number from your profile as an anti-troll measure! You have been at this for as long as me and with the same Gleason 9 diagnosis. We are a rare breed - well done!

User

Posted 15 May 2018 at 13:27

i had an appointment with the urologist on friday11may2018:-

i am now on hormone treatment as follows:-

bicalutamide(50MG) tablets daily from 15may with an intramuscular injection of decapeptyl(3MG) after 10 days on 24may(and every 4 weeks thereafter) - the tablets will continue and after 3 months another psa reading will be taken.

as usual comments/advice/moral support would be most welcome

User

Posted 15 May 2018 at 20:32

That looks like the kind of treatment regime that many other members have had in similar situation to yours. Hopefully, your PSA will drop very quickly and if you are managing the side effects okay, you may eventually move to 3 or 6 monthly injections rather than every month.

Try to keep active - fatigue can play havoc so rest when you need to but try to do things like walking or swimming.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 23 Oct 2018 at 12:51

Sorry can't answer that but hopefully as your psa had gone down it wont cause any problems, good luck with next PSA test.

regards Barbara

Show Most Thanked Posts

User

Posted 24 Oct 2015 at 08:28

Hi Junior, I am not too sure about your results as am relatively new to the site as well(February this year) but looking at the gradual increase and listening/seeing to what others have said before about PSA increases generally I would imagine your urologist/specialist would be thinking about further tests to check it out.

These being MRI scan, bone scan and if anything shows some targeted biopsies.

Me answering this for you will bring it back to the top for someone else more experienced to see and comment on.

Hope all goes well

Regards Chris/Woody

Life seems different upside down, take another viewpoint

User

Posted 24 Oct 2015 at 08:52

HI Junior

Firstly check whether you think its wise to display your personal details on your profile

From your profile I note RT ended June 2008 and Zoladex Jun 2011. Since then your PSA has fluctuated as you might expect with still having a prostate. Check my profile to see how my PSA also fluctuates. Hopefully that’s down to healthy cells recovering from RT and thus producing some PSA rather than anything sinister. But keep having those PSA checks.,

Ray

User

Posted 25 Oct 2015 at 15:52

Hi Junior, these results look excellent - it must be a huge relief to you that the PSA is holding so well this many years after RT.
Some men wonder how it would be to have a treatment where you only know whether it has worked when it doesn't fail but you are a good example. To be holding a PSA of less than 2 some seven years after RT is probably the nearest you could get to confirmation that RT/HT was a good choice for you. Of course, 4 years after the hormone treatment finished you would expect the testosterone to be back up (and hopefully most of the side effects of low testosterone to be a distant memory) and your low but fluctuating PSA is in line with the healthy prostate cells regenerating so all in all, a big congratulations from me :-)

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 30 Oct 2015 at 23:08

Hi Junior,
I would be very pleased with those readings!

Yes it is going up, but slowly does it.

Well done.

Chris.

User

Posted 21 Apr 2016 at 12:35

my psa has risen from 0.9(april 2016) to 1.1(october2016) -

the oncology nurse says that she is not overly concerned and i will be seen again in october 2017.

any comments would be most welcome

User

Posted 21 Apr 2016 at 14:58

Junior, that's fantastic news. When we talk about people who were diagnosed with high Gleason who are still around years later, I think we sometimes forget about you! With a G9, it is brilliant that your PSA has remained so low for all these years. There was bound to be a slow rise after the hormones stopped but you have stayed well below the threshold for concern. I think in NHS terms, you would now be described as officially in remission.

It seems a long time till your next appointment though - 18 months? Is that a typing error?

Do something lovely to celebrate x

Edited by member 21 Apr 2016 at 15:02 | Reason: Not specified

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 21 Apr 2016 at 15:34

Soren Kierkegaard:-

typo - should have been 2016 -

your comment(re remission) is the most encouraging i could ever wish for -

if correct, i am sure that it is due to the fact that i have had nothing but a lot of tender care from all the individuals i have had to deal with at northamptonshire general hospital and the "health" regime that i have followed since being diagnosed.

i shall mention it to my mcmillan nurse when i next see her(i see her on the 1st tuesday of every month at our local support group) -

once again many thanks.

if you are correct, then i would like someday to let everyone know my history so that it will at least give some people hope and encouragement.

User

Posted 21 Apr 2016 at 15:44

Your profile 0.9 in Oct 15 and 1.1 April 16 and PSA test every 6 months. So that makes next test in Oct 16?

I wouldn't be overly concerned but some concern as that's two consectative rises. But 1.1after all these years is pretty good going.

Ray

User

Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 14:09

14/10/2016 -

my psa reading is up from 1.1 to 1.7 -

I have been advised that even though there is need to be concerned,

a further blood sample will be examined in around 6 weeks time in addition to examination of a urine sample.

any comments would be most welcome

User

Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 16:43

As my profile shows 1.6 triggered another test in a months time. The result being quite a drop in PSA level. However this is your 3rd consecutive increase so still some concern there. I can't back thus up with science nor is it 100% consistant on keeping PSA under 1 but I still keep to having a quiet week as possible before the test.

Good luck

Ray

User

Posted 14 Oct 2016 at 23:49

You will have seen from other threads on this forum the things that can slightly elevate PSA and thus should be avoided where possible prior to having a PSA test and I trust you have acted accordingly. Your PSA is still good for so long after treatment but the three latest rises are well above the general rate of increase and could be of concern. I sincerely hope this is not the case with you but sometimes PCa that appears to have been eradicated by RT/HT becomes active again, maybe through some cancer cells being radio resistant, not reached by the RT or a completely new tumour starting in the Prostate or elsewhere. I also had RT in 2008 but without HT thereafter. My PSA remained low for over two years but as shown in my bio, this began to rise slowly but persistently. My consultant at the Sutton Marsden suspected a growing tumour in the prostate and an MRI showed this was the case ,although my PSA was only 1.44. I was subsequently referred to UCLH for HIFU treatment within a study and my PSA was 1.99 immediately before this op and 0.39 after this treatment. (It has risen again since but that's another story).

I was fortunate to have a consultant who authorized an MRI scan notwithstanding my lowish PSA and this showed the tumour. Often, PCa with such a low PSA will not show cancer on an MRI scan, even on a 3Tesla high quality one.

The fact that a urine test is being done to check whether an infection is affecting your PSA and a further blood test seems to indicate that your PSA increase is not what was expected and calls for closer monitoring.

Edited by member 14 Oct 2016 at 23:51 | Reason: Not specified

Barry

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 14:53

many thanks barry -

please remind me of the things

"things that can slightly elevate PSA"

so that i can avoid them before the next test.

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 14:54

ray,

many thanks for the reply.

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 15:12

i would be very grateful if someone could hypothesise on my future journey based on my psa results - best case & worst case - warts and all.

i fully appreciate that anyone who is not or has not been in the position i am in will only be giving me their informed opinion.

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 17:59

question? would a 14(fourteen) hour fast(not even water) before i gave the blood for the psa test affect the psa result?

i needed to the 14 hour fast for a simultaneous blood test that was required by my doctor for checks for chlorestoral, liver blood count etc. etc.

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 19:29

2 of the things to avoid before a PSA test are :-

"Ejaculation can raise levels. Some doctors recommend you sustain from sexual activity for 2 days prior to lab testing

Bicycle riding may raise levels (due to seat pressure on the prostate)"

Edited by member 18 Oct 2016 at 13:38 | Reason: Not specified

Barry

User

Posted 17 Oct 2016 at 23:59

Your nurse may be able to tell you what PSA level would trigger going back on the hormones, or you might have to wait to discuss it at your next consultant appointment.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 18 Oct 2016 at 08:32

Junior

My Oncologist signed me off and told me to keep having my PSA tests every 6 months and not to worry about ups and downs and to make an appointment again if the PSA reaches 2.0.

Gary

Edited by member 18 Oct 2016 at 08:33 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 18 Oct 2016 at 09:26

Junior

Since I came off HT last February I see the oncologist every 4 months, she said as long as it doesn't reach 2 she's not too concerned

Arthur

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