Re: PSA Rise - cause for concern?

[Guest guest]

Mike,

Just to give you a bit of background to

this post. I was diagnosed in 1996 and set up a website in 1998 – YANA – You Are Not Alone Now at http://www.yananow.org One of the features

of the site – the main feature for many people is the collection of stories

from men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Some of them go back to 1990 and more

than 100 are from men diagnosed ten or more years ago. You can search the

stories in a number of ways by going to this page http://www.yananow.org/query_stories.php

Because I ask contributing men (I refer to

them as Mentors because they provide their e-mail addresses so they can be

contacted for more information if that is required) to update their stories at

least once a year I get a regular ‘feel’ for what is happening in

the prostate cancer world. And based on those observations there are three

points about ultra-sensitive PSA:

There

has been an extraordinary number of men (over the least 12 months or so)

reporting rises in their ultra-sensitive test results – increases at

a level similar to those reported by you.

Most

medical people seem more relaxed about these changes than they have been

in the past. In fact according to Mike C http://www.yananow.org/display_story.php?id=697

his lab in Canada

is now reporting undetectable results as less than 0.1 (the old minimum

was less than 0.02)

There

was a recent study which I added to my page about Ultra-sensitive tests at

http://www.yananow.org/UltraPSA.htm

which concluded “ Until the significance of ultrasensitive prostate specific antigen

doubling time is better characterized, the decision to proceed with

salvage therapy should not be based on prostate specific antigen doubling

time calculated using ultrasensitive prostate specific antigen values.”

All of which leads me to a personal

conclusion that there has been some change in the way ultra-sensitive PSA tests

are processed and it is this change that has made them even less reliable than

they were in the past. As I say, that is a personal opinion based on many years’

observation, it is not based on a scientific study, but you may find the information

of some use or worth pursuing further..

All the best

Prostate men need enlightening, not

frightening

Terry Herbert - diagnosed in 1996 and

still going strong

Read A Strange Place for unbiased information at http://www.yananow.org/StrangePlace/index.html

From: ProstateCancerSupport [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of domihaa

Sent: Monday, 21 May 2012 10:52 AM

To: ProstateCancerSupport

Subject:

PSA Rise - cause for concern?

I had a prostatectomy 10 years ago. About a year ago,

I decided to resume Testosterone Replacement. I had been 9 years with

undetectable PSAs. My post-op pathology showed Gleason 3+3=6, negative margins,

organ confined, no seminal vesicle involvement, no lymph node involvement. Two

months ago, I had my PSA checked.... after 9 months of TRT... and it was 0.12.

Nadir of >0.2 would indicate a chemical recurrence. 0.12 does not. At this

point, I can only wait and see what happens. Just wondering, however, if anyone

else out there who decided to resume TRT post prostatectomy has seen a *slight*

climb in PSA???

Please email if you have been through something similar: domiha@...

Thanks!

MikeH

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the reply...and the encouraging thoughts, Terry. I will check out

the Web sites.

My endo knew the PSA was at 0.12, but he gave me the pellets anyway. If I had

known, I would not have allowed him to implant them! But maybe I am getting too

freaked about this too soon. I guess I will just have to wait and see what the

next results show.

I was diagnosed with panic disorder and anxiety attacks many years ago ...and I

do tend to worry more than I should. Doesn't take much to scare me, and I tend

to perseverate on worst case scenarios. Obviously, I am not going to die

tomorrow of prostate cancer. Still, I second guess my decision of restarting

the TRT. Just wish I could find a group of men who have gone back to TRT to see

if this slight elevation is just the norm with the ultra-sensitive test.

If I understand correctly, prostate tissue makes PSA....not just prostate

'cancer'...If that is true, could it be that there remained a few cells of

healthy prostate tissue that were left behind.

Are there any other organs in the body that produce any PSA? Don't think so,

but need to clarify that.

Again, thanks!

MikeH

>

> Mike,

>

>

>

> Just to give you a bit of background to this post. I was diagnosed in 1996

> and set up a website in 1998 - YANA - You Are Not Alone Now at

> http://www.yananow.org <http://www.yananow.org/> One of the features of the

> site - the main feature for many people is the collection of stories from

> men diagnosed with prostate cancer. Some of them go back to 1990 and more

> than 100 are from men diagnosed ten or more years ago. You can search the

> stories in a number of ways by going to this page

> http://www.yananow.org/query_stories.php

>

>

>

> Because I ask contributing men (I refer to them as Mentors because they

> provide their e-mail addresses so they can be contacted for more information

> if that is required) to update their stories at least once a year I get a

> regular 'feel' for what is happening in the prostate cancer world. And based

> on those observations there are three points about ultra-sensitive PSA:

>

>

>

> 1. There has been an extraordinary number of men (over the least 12

> months or so) reporting rises in their ultra-sensitive test results -

> increases at a level similar to those reported by you.

> 2. Most medical people seem more relaxed about these changes than they

> have been in the past. In fact according to Mike C

> http://www.yananow.org/display_story.php?id=697 his lab in Canada is now

> reporting undetectable results as less than 0.1 (the old minimum was less

> than 0.02)

> 3. There was a recent study which I added to my page about

> Ultra-sensitive tests at http://www.yananow.org/UltraPSA.htm which

> concluded " Until the significance of ultrasensitive prostate specific

> antigen doubling time is better characterized, the decision to proceed with

> salvage therapy should not be based on prostate specific antigen doubling

> time calculated using ultrasensitive prostate specific antigen values. "

>

>

>

> All of which leads me to a personal conclusion that there has been some

> change in the way ultra-sensitive PSA tests are processed and it is this

> change that has made them even less reliable than they were in the past. As

> I say, that is a personal opinion based on many years' observation, it is

> not based on a scientific study, but you may find the information of some

> use or worth pursuing further..

>

>

>

> All the best

>

> Prostate men need enlightening, not frightening

>

> Terry Herbert - diagnosed in 1996 and still going strong

>

> Read A Strange Place for unbiased information at

> http://www.yananow.org/StrangePlace/index.html

> <http://www.yananow.net/StrangePlace/index.html>

>

>

>

> _____

>

> From: ProstateCancerSupport

> [mailto:ProstateCancerSupport ] On Behalf Of domihaa

> Sent: Monday, 21 May 2012 10:52 AM

> To: ProstateCancerSupport

> Subject: PSA Rise - cause for concern?

>

>

>

>

>

> I had a prostatectomy 10 years ago. About a year ago, I decided to resume

> Testosterone Replacement. I had been 9 years with undetectable PSAs. My

> post-op pathology showed Gleason 3+3=6, negative margins, organ confined, no

> seminal vesicle involvement, no lymph node involvement. Two months ago, I

> had my PSA checked.... after 9 months of TRT... and it was 0.12. Nadir of

> >0.2 would indicate a chemical recurrence. 0.12 does not. At this point, I

> can only wait and see what happens. Just wondering, however, if anyone else

> out there who decided to resume TRT post prostatectomy has seen a *slight*

> climb in PSA???

>

> Please email if you have been through something similar: domiha@...

> <mailto:domiha%40hotmail.com>

>

> Thanks!

>

> MikeH

>

[Guest guest]

Been 6 years for me, I wouldn't take a chance on the hormone boost with my

history of PCa. Sure not worth the risk. I probably would try some natural

stuff though.

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> Been 6 years for me, I wouldn't take a chance on the hormone boost with my

history of PCa. Sure not worth the risk. I probably would try some natural

stuff though.

> >

> >

>

***Do you have low T and all that goes with it!?? Depression, fatigue,

lethargy, no libido, no joy in life, eating anti-depressants and going to

therapy to try and feel better ...not to mention Depression again? You might

think differently if you go through enough years living in a dark pit of

despair. It was not an easy decision, by any means.

Take care!

MikeH