For what it's worth my PSA fluctuates usually around 12. It doesn't cause my doctor any concerns once I go through same procedures as you. Also in Britain PSA levels are regarded as a suspect indicator. My Canadian doc says you Americans are way too concerned and overaggressive in your treatments. Best, Paul
You have nothing to worry about. You had a biopsy and it was negative. 9 to 11 is normal tolerance something as simple as a bike ride could account for more than that.
95% of all prostate cancers (and you don't have one) never progress enough to cause any problems. At your age, prostate removal will almost surely make you impotent and give you at least a 25 % chance of some level of incontinence (urologists consider no more than 2x pads/day continent - I consider wtf is a pad continent). Why would you even consider that?
Live your life and enjoy yourself. If the weak flow becomes a problem, try meds and if they don't work consider one of the less invasive procedures if tests show that they could help. If any doctor recommends any procedure that involves anesthesia, find another doc.
Since you're getting another MRI maybe you can get an MRI guided biopsy. That way the can target the suspicious area instaed of the hit and miss of unguided biopsy
I’m no expert but u derstand you must be very worried . When I was investiged for PC I was told by urologist that for the cancer to have spread PSA needs to be over 27 . As I say I’m no expert but that what I was told by someone who is . If indeed it is PC ( and good chance it isn’t) and it has not spread ( mri scan should have clarified that !) you have various very effective options so try not to worry too much ,
If you are in the UK prostate cancer has been in the news today with a 62 year old TV presenter saying that Specialists have given him between ten and 18 years to live after his diagnosis and treatment for the cancer that has spread to his bones.
From other articles in the Daily Mail Health Section today:
“Thousands of men are being needlessly treated for prostate cancer because there is no reliable test for the disease, experts have warned. A decade-long study involving 415,000 British men lays bare the fundamental flaws of the blood test that forms the cornerstone of the way prostate cancer is diagnosed. Experts said there is a 'desperate need' for a much better way of screening for prostate cancer, in the same way as women are screened for breast cancer with regular mammograms. Using a 'prostate specific antigen' - or PSA - blood test to screen healthy men would not save extra lives, the Oxford and Bristol-led researchers found. The researchers admitted it remains the only method of testing men who are already showing symptoms”
“A vaccine could one day protect men from developing prostate cancer, thanks to a breakthrough by UK scientists. Experts have designed a vaccine that boosts the immune system’s ability to track down and kill prostate cancer cells as soon as they start to appear in the body. The research is at a very early stage, but scientists from Queen’s University Belfast believe in time their findings could be used to vaccinate young men against getting prostate cancer later in life. It could also be used as a treatment for men who do have prostate cancer, because it would enable the body to kill off any tumours that have already grown. The Daily Mail is campaigning to end needless prostate deaths through earlier diagnosis and better treatments.”
Thanks guys I do feel a lot better for having read all your replies.
I live in England.
The biopsy I had was transpereneal and guided. The information I was given was that between 30 and 50 needles would be inserted into the prostate through some kind of grid and an ultra sound would be used to accurately position the needles. So it did sound pretty reliable.
Anyway thanks again for all your comments. Now I am sitting waiting for the letter for my appointment for the MRI scan.