doctor visit and prolonged biopsy date
Hello, everyone,
My GP told me my lab results showed 11.9 psa. Did a second lab visit 3 weeks later and then showed 11.7. Referred straight to a urologist via phone consult. Urologist told me we're going straight to biopsy as digital and MRI would not be inconclusive. The urologist said there was a 30% chance I have prostate cancer. Then the kicker; the urologists MA called to schedule biopsy. Next available date was in 7 weeks.
So, my question, is waiting 7 weeks for a biopsy with a 11.7 psa the norm? I am concerned that things could progress in 7 weeks.
Also, would appreciate some feedback on the following; This whole prostate and psa thing came out of nowhere and is terrifying. How are you all managing with this super scary thing? Tips, suggestions etc. would be welcomed. Thank you.
- Others will chime in with article references to help educate yourself. I have the following questions. PSA by itself doesn't mean a whole lot. The rate of PSA increase is telling. Would you please post your PSA history with dates as that would be helpful?
While I wouldn't be bothered by the delay in biopsy, I am very bothered by some of the statements that your urologist makes. In the "hands" of an experienced urologist, there is a lot to be learned from a DRE. He is correct to say that MRI and DRE are inconclusive but you learn something from both that makes any PCA diagnosis more accurate. If you have PCA, but it is early, a blind biopsy may very well miss the tumor(s). If what you have happens to be aggressive PCA, actually catching it early has a large impact on whether you progress to metastatic disease or not. An MRI can identify regions of interest to explore with a biopsy in what is called a fusion biopsy that overlays the MRI imaging with the live ultrasound that will guide additional samples at those areas of interest in addition to the grid samples that are also taken.
My suggestion is to find another urologist and accept the delays that this would entail. There are no guarantees with any of this but old school plain blind biopsy is not taking advantage of the latest developments. Others will chime in to suggest a perineal biopsy and perhaps even live MRI guidance as the latest and greatest. You may find it hard to find urologists who do this and in a timeline that isn't greatly expanded. Others will chime in on this with links to help with your education.
Bottom line, as with all healthcare, the best advocate for your health will always be you. Educate yourself here, and via reputable medical websites. I am not a physician and most people here are not as well. Validate thoughts and things you learn with a physician you trust. Everyone here learns from each other and I hope you pull up a chair, break out the popcorn and engage us with your experience.57 years old.. test based upon my new (changed doctors) general practice doctor's suggestion due to my age. Haven't been tested before with past labs. This doctor essentially said hey, you are getting close to 60, so let's check. I think guidance is to start PSA testing at 50 but most folks here, myself included, believe it should be 40. The worry is that testing earlier will result in more unnecessary procedures. I believe it is best to be informed where you and your medical team can make the best decision on your behalf. As you peruse this site, you will find many examples where the first test is very high and metastatic cancer is subsequently diagnosed. Some, but not many, in their forties. Good thing you changed doctors and they tested and then referred you to a urologist.
Get a better urologist. Have the DRE and get the MRI for a fusion biopsy. As I said, grid biopsies may miss if you have early tumor(s) that are still small yet might be aggressive in nature. You should take charge and let him know what you want if you want to keep the same urologist.
- I should add that PCA is slow so, in general, waiting 7 weeks is not long. My journey started about 2 years before my eventually having a prostatectomy while monitoring a slowly increasing PSA from about 2 to about 7 when I finally had my fusion biopsy in February 2025. I didn't have my surgery until June 2025. Most folks tend to spend a lot of time in deciding upon the many treatment options all of which have consequences beyond simply treating the cancer. Hi
. Just to follow up on what said, my first question was going to be about whether your doctor had mentioned an MRI guided biopsy. Given that they are looking to bypass an MRI beforehand, it would really need to be the plan for the biopsy. Heck, our contributor Brian wrote about it here back in 2019 (see: https://prostatecancer.net/clinical/mri-guided-biopsy) and since then it really is becoming the standard of care.
Also, as mentioned, prostate cancer tends to be slow growing and, while your anxiety is completely understandable, the seven weeks is probably not an issue. I want to share with you this article from Harvard Health that, while looking at time between diagnosis after biopsy and start of treatment, does give a good picture of the time involved that will hopefully lessen your anxiety: https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/treating-prostate-cancer-no-rush-to-judgment. Hope this information is helpful and please feel free to keep us posted on how things are going and to ask further questions. Best, Richard (Team Member)The DRE, MRI & PSA are only 3 of the tools to asess PC correctly. Biopsy & PSMA pet scan are the other 2. And of course there are others like a Decipher test if you really want to know more.
