Age 66, PSA 61, should i get a biopsy
I have read horror stories about biopsies just making the prostate worse. Can someone please chime in and let me know their thoughts on this.
Your PSA is 6.1 or 61?
Have you being monitoring your PSA say in past few years?
Have you being referred to urologist and had a discussion about this?
I’m at same age as you and just two weeks ago and after my third biopsy learned that I have prostate cancer.
So the common scenes suggests meeting with your Doctor and possibly an MRI and biopsy..specially if you haven’t being monitored in the past..
Let us know how it goes.
Betsy of luck
Thank you for writing. I am sorry to hear about your prostate. i hope things go okay for you.
Every 6 months i have blood work done. i have been watching it go up. As of 11/15/2021 it was 61.54 to be exact.
i met with a Urologist yesterday. He said You have cancer we have to do a biopsy and see what it is. i have always heard stories about biopsy making it worse. Like its not the prostate that kills men its the treatment. The Urologist said at least 3 times this is going to kill you. i didn't really like his approach at shocking me. But i suppose i need to start doing something about it.
The reason i went to him was because i am now getting blood coming from my penis. Sometimes in my urine almost always through ejaculation.
i've scheduled a biopsy April 15th, they couldn't do it any sooner.
This all started when i messed my hip up stretching before running. i felt a sharp pain. Walked it off and it went away. but months later it started getting bad. I went and had a MRI done. The MRI showed tumor on my Femur. They refereed me to a Orthopedic surgeon. The MRI said there were several T2 lesions on my prostate.
The Orthopedic surgeon ordered a CT Scan. I had that scan and it showed no cancer for the hip. Actually the report said no cancer found anywhere. But did not come right out and say nothing on the prostate.
The Urologist mentioned that the CT scan would not show the cancer which seemed to contradict the surgeon. He said there was some other scan that could be done but i don't remember the name.
Anyway now i'm in panic mode trying to find out more about the prostate and other alternative treatments instead of just cutting the damn thing out. i'd still like to be able to get an erection of at all possible. I have to take the blue pill to make that happen now. But even that is slowly fading. i might have to forgo that thought for the rest my life.
Sorry if i rambled....
Again thank you for writing. Good luck to you and to those who read this.Same situation here my surgeon told me I had to choice but to have RP surgery and then lied and told me my severe incontinence and inability to orgasm or have erections will all resolve themselves after a few months. That was four years ago and nothing has changed I am STILL sexually dead and wearing numerous adult diapers every day. I should have gotten a second opinion.
I’m glad to hear you’ve been followed up with Urologist and done the MRI…since my late 50 my psa was going up slightly over 4.00 and then my family doctor referred me to Urologist and he suggested finistrade to help with size of prostate and I was on it for a good 8 years … the first Biopsy few years ago came all negative then about three years ago due to high psa urologist recommended an MRI..the MRI result showed a lesion contained with left side of prostate and was rated as pi-rad 4, the follow up biopsy result was still negative with all cores being chronic inflammation…so two years after As PSA was rising I’ve asked for another MRI which result showed slight progress of lesion but still confined within prostate..couple of weeks after the third biopsy and 3 core out of 12 showed cancer withe Gleason score of 7…
So due to fact The scores were 3+4..my urologist suggested radiation which apparently 50% better over surgery with regard to ED issues.
With that said I will having my planning session next week with oncologists and possibly a month of VMAT radiation therapy..
I know the panic settles in when you hear the word cancer and all possible side effects but I believe there are plenty of treatment options out there.
Someone in this forum suggested me to ask lots of questions and read and that is what I’m doing now but I believe at one point you need to trust professionals and not overthink every aspect of treatment and side effects…
I will be sharing my experience going through this and hopping the data will help the next fellow looking for information or perhaps knows that they are not alone and that’s statistically one in every 9 man going through this.
All the best and keep us posted…
Thank you Sue. It is nice to hear success stories with high PSAs. I am glad your husband is doing well. My last lab showed my PSA is now 98.8. Its gone up almost 9 point in 10 days. So disappointing. i keep calling every week to see if i can get in earlier for the biopsy. So far no luck. Thank you again for posting.
Fighting cancer takes persistence in so many aspects. Keep calling to see if you can move your appointment up. I hope you're successful in that soon. Best wishes to you as you pursue treatment and healing.
Hi
. Sorry to hear you are having these issues and your concerns/fears are certainly understandable. While the biopsy, like any procedure, has its risks it is generally well tolerated by most men. This article from our editorial team gives an overview: https://prostatecancer.net/diagnosis/biopsy. I saw that you mentioned to that you have conflicting reports on cancer spread beyond the prostate. If there is spread beyond the prostate that makes a great deal of difference in how the cancer will be treated. Traditionally a prostatectomy has not been performed with metastatic cancer, however, that is changing to a certain degree (see: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5449684/). That said, radiation and other treatments are still more common for metastatic cancer. On top of what can be found with the biopsy, there are tests that can help with the locating of metastatic prostate cancer, in particular the PSMA and Axium tests. If at all possible, it sounds like your case would be good for a biopsy as soon as possible. You could ask your doctor if they have a a cancellation list they keep for sudden openings. Just know that there are options available and there have been quite a few treatment advances. Wishing you the best and please feel free to keep us posted on how you are doing. Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)
Thank you Richard. I will read these articles.
I'm praying my PSA has not gone up much since November. I will know after the blood test Monday.
I will also check if they have a cancellation list so i can get in sooner for the biopsy.
Thank you again.
Let me offer some insight into my personal experience. I was nervous about a biopsy being done through the rectal wall but was given a form of novocaine to dull the sensation. I was also given an antibiotic to take the day before the procedure and the day after to prevent infection. All in all it was not bad and as noted most men go through this rather well. PSA numbers are not an indication of cancer. The test only shows the level of PSA in your blood. The biopsy will let you know the grade level if it is cancer. The Information Richard Faust offered is excellent. The key is to remember that if you have prostate cancer it tends to be slow growing and there are many treatments options depending on what stage the cancer is at. This whole process is scary in the beginning. I was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer in 2013 and am still here and doing OK. Prostate Cancer and how it impacts you is as unique to you as are your fingerprints. Your MD's will offer the best advice. I do suggest you speak up and ask questions
