Need some advice
Hello everyone. I am looking for some advice. I am 55. No history of prostate cancer in my family. My story began about 5 years ago when I had my PSA checked with my annual blood work. It was 4.2 so the doctor recommended to get it retested. I decided to wait until my next check up a year later. It went to 6.0. I was sent to urologist and was told I should have a biopsy. Had the biopsy done and all tests were negative for cancer. I was told the high PSA could be a infection in my prostate. Was treated with antibiotics for 6 weeks afterwards. Went for follow up PSA and it was up to 12. Doctor didn't seemed concerned being the biopsy was negative. A year later I had my PSA tested again with my gp and it was down to 8. Went to urologist again and was told I should get a 3T MRI. Got that done and it was negative. Just showed a larger than normal prostate. Jump ahead another year PSA up to 13.0
Went for another 3T MRI and again it was negative showing no tumors but larger than normal prostate. In the middle of all this they also did some genetic test and was told that was negative as well. So I am currently diagnosed with BPH. But my gp seems to think that I have something going on that they just have not found yet. Just wondering if anyone else has/ is going through this?
Hi and sorry to hear you are going through this. I also had no family history of prostate cancer but I proved to be the exception even with very low PSA numbers. I am not a MD and cannot offer medical advice. It is my understanding that some prostate infections can be very persistent and difficult to get under control. Additionally it just makes sense that a large prostate will produce more PSA. A PSA test is not a test for cancer (that is what a biopsy is for) but rather it is a test that measures the amount of Prostate Specific Antigen in your blood.
Has your MD done any testing to see what type of infection if any may be present? You may want to ask if you need a longer course of antibiotic as in a few weeks vs a few days. Is there a need to change the type of antibiotic you are being treated with. The good news is your tests have not show any signs of cancer. If you feel you are not getting anywhere you can always seek out another urologist. When you are dealing with a specialized issue a urologist may be the preferred choice I will say your GP sounds like he is on top of it .
I hope this Information helps - Do let us know how you are doing....
Dennis (ProstateCancer.net TEAM)
Hi
. It is great that all the test results have failed to find any cancer. I want to share this article on curing prostatitis: https://www.aafp.org/afp/2000/0515/p3025.html. Concerning antibiotic treatment it notes "An antibiotic is used to treat prostatitis that is caused by an infection. Some antibiotics that might be used are trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, doxycycline, ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxin. You might have to take antibiotics for several weeks or even a few months. If prostatitis is severe, you might have to go to a hospital for treatment with fluids and antibiotics." Cipro is known to be particularly hard on the stomach, so if you do need another round maybe one of the others mentioned can be used. It also discusses treatments for if the cause is not an infection. You haven't mentioned any physical discomfort, so it is worth asking your doctor just what level of treatment is necessary. Wishing you the best. Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team) Waiting for test is always the worst part of medical treatment and there is no way to speed up the process especially now with all of this COVID stuff going on. Hang in there
My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer. His prostate was removed, but his psa continues to rise. Like you, the doctors have run tests but have not found where the cancer currently resides and why the psa numbers continue to grow. I can't speak to medical recommendations because everyone's medical history and symptoms are different, but our experience is that he continues to be tested, have MRI's, quarterly blood work and frequent oncology visits to determine where the cancer has landed and what the continued treatment should be. Sometimes it seems to take more time than we want to get a definitive answer as to where the cancer is what should be done to treat it. We just keep pursuing answers and don't give up. Thank you for the reply. You and your husband are in my prayers for answers and recovery. None of this is easy - thank goodness that prostate cancer tends to be slow growing. You many want to ask your ME if some of the new testing may be able helpful in finding hidden cancer that are not found on a typical or routine scan.
ME typo MD
