PSA High - is this always bad news?

Hi, my other half (70 years young), has recently had a psa prostate blood test of 16 and is being referred for an mri. No other health problems and still active. Of course always fearing the worst - being so high is this likely to be cancer or could it be anything else?  He had an examination (rectal exam) 5 years earlier but showed nothing. Sorry I know that nobody has a crystal ball but any feedback would be appreciated x

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  • Hi Sandwich.

    I can understand your worries. But when I was diagnosed, my PSA was way up at 70. But due to my dear wife making me go to the doctors, it was caught early. I was treated with hormone therapy and also radiotherapy and my psa dropped down to 0.01, the lowest they can measure. It is still very low some years later so I hope you can take comfort in my story. 

    I wish you and your husband good results. Please let us know how he gets on, Brian

  • Hello woodworm and telemando, thank you for your kind words and useful information. Well the results show prostate cancer but looks to be contained. Will receive a letter for a biopsy appointment and then radiotherapy. Half expected but still a shock when you actually hear the diagnosis :(

    He was given the choice to have the prostate removed, but seems to have opted for radiotherapy due to the side effects. I'm not sure whether it would be better just to have the operation and at least have reassurance that it was all removed??

     

  • Thank you for the info its so helpful to get real advise as all the medical info and appointments planned tend to go over the head a little when you try to absorb everything! Its the bone scan tomorrow so everything crossed for a negative result and then starting on the hormone therapy. I think in some ways it will be good to get things going and feel like making progress to treating it
  • Hi Sandwich 2, how is your situation now. Have you had treatment and what was your gleason score after the prostate was removed and examined.

  • Hi,

    Waiting for things to start or for information is always hard. I think we all feel better once the treatment starts I know I did. Let hope you get good results, Brian

     

  • Hi telemando,

    Really interesting to read your comments. I am 63 diagnosed with prostate cancer with Gleason score of 4-3 all contained and clear bone scan, My PSA was 6.1 in May 2018.. I am booked in for surgery to have prostate removed on December 10th. My problem is with having no symptoms whatsover I am finding it hard to beleive I have the cancer at all. Due to my age and general good health all the experts have advised me to have the surgery, even the the doctors i work with have said surgery is the best option for me. The urology nurse also states that this is a cure and not treatment. Yor comments have really helped me coming to terms with this. One question if I may, did you have any symptoms when diagnosed?.

    hope you carry on being well, and to everyone else in this forum good luck. I am very nervous about the forthcoming months ahead but also i am a little reassured that this will soon be cured and not just treated. Good luck everyone.

    Also i will be happy to answer any questions and help anybody in the future if I can.

  • Hi Tommo. Welcome to the forum.

    I personally did have some symptoms of a swollen prostate and prostatitis. However, after my operation a prostate support group started in my home town, and I've met a number of fellow sufferers. Most of them with early stage cancer said that they had no symptoms other than a raised PSA. A lot of them also were generally fit and healthy, and found their diagnosis to be a shock, a bolt out of the blue. 

    Thank you for your good wishes. May I also wish you a good outcome and a speedy recovery.  

     

  • Hope my story helps due to AUR several years ago I have had several PSA tests MRI Biopsy other tests no Cancer found my PSA is taken every 6-12 months it has fluctuated from 5 to 12.1 when it was at its highest was because and incomoetent consultant took me over Finasteride now back on it dropped by over half the one consultant I trust stated MRI  showed my prostate is X4 bigger and my PSA is about where they expect been discharged back to GP latest test a week ago he just wants informal chat not sure why as it is at its lowest level ever some tips if it fluctuates normally a good sign if it rises bit by bit its not if it goes into 20s and higher not so good the key question related my story have you enlarged prostate if so its almost certainly the reason and if DRE finds nothing if it is PCA then its contained I would recommend an MRI its the most accurate Biopsy is hit and miss hope this helps

  • Hi hope you don't mind me butting in, there's so many chat lines checking them all takes ages. I only found yours this morning I've talked to woodworm (Brian) before, when they found my cancer my psa was 1500 gleason 8 they told me that it was not curable it had gone to bone (spine, pelvis and ribs) & 1 lung. This was 2016 Feb on hormone therapy for rest of life had chemo to stop it going any further dec 2018 psa 0.4 it's going to go up again then I have some more chemo, I have wrote in other places, living with cancer and prostate cancer hope everything keeps going well.Iwas ill before I new about the cancer, but it was because I had a hernia I was lucky because if not being checked out cancer would have gone a lot further.

    Billy 

  • i had gelason 7 and had robotic surgery. Now they have done psa and it shows 0.06 , but the pathology report shows gleason 7 and T3b was 3+4 before but now is gleason 4+3 which shows more apggressive and showed broken thru capsule, and they are going to wait 8 week to see if psa changes but they are thinking i will need radiotherapy. Im still glad i had surgery first becuase if radiotherapy and hormone dont work then you cant go back an do surgery.

  • HI Billy i will include you in my prayers and pray to getbetter. How does hormone therapy make you feel. Im worried mainly about losing my sex drvie which i read about.

  • Hi herc what sex drive to much damage done by cancer (at least I had a great time when I was younger) been married over 45 years worst thing is hot flushes I mean Hot had them over 3 years now but rest of life is something else. One thing I did learn is went for injection saw nurse she said back in a minute she came back said someone had given her the cheaper medication she said there are other meds but they don't do the job as well trouble is I don't always see same one so I don't know what I'm getting some times. Anyways best of luck.

    Billy 

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  • Hi herc what sex drive to much damage done by cancer (at least I had a great time when I was younger) been married over 45 years worst thing is hot flushes I mean Hot had them over 3 years now but rest of life is something else. One thing I did learn is went for injection saw nurse she said back in a minute she came back said someone had given her the cheaper medication she said there are other meds but they don't do the job as well trouble is I don't always see same one so I don't know what I'm getting some times. Anyways best of luck.

    Billy 

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