The PSA Test: 7 Reasons It Still Matters

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six months ago I had a PSA count of 4.3. Because I had a few friends with PSA count in the same area, and had a biopsy with cancer, I decided to have a biopsy also. The results came back as cancer free. I just had another PSA and the count came back at 5.3. My brother at the age of 69, I am 71, was diagnosed with agressive cancer with a Gleason Score of 9. He had his prostate removed along with the semicle vestiles. My Dr. generally suggests that I take anitbotics for a month or so and then take another PSA. But he leaves it up to me if I want to take another biopsy. I called another well known clinic and a nurse suggested the same thing of waiting. She said too many biopsys will make it difficult to remove the prostate because of scare tissue. I am in excellent physical condition, with no health issues, and not over weight. I am a little confused on the best route to take at this time.

Sigurd Sandstrom of WI 12:22PM March 29, 2011

Excellent article about the pitfalls of the psa test. As a mid 50's man my psa results showed 11.5 which prompted a biopsy. That was negative for cancer and a year later my psa fallen to 8.7. With no cancer detected in the biospy and an apparently normal sized prostate (via digital exam)then why is my psa so high for my age? The big problem with psa is it can be affected by things other than cancer but a high test prompts an often unneccessary biopsy 'just to be safe' as in my case. We really need a better prostate test.

James 9:43AM August 24, 2010

I am 65 years old and for the last 2 years my psa has been 2.5-2.6. This year it was 3.36 and a digital exam indicated an enlarged prostate. A biopsy of 14 samples was taken and resulted in 1 3/3 Gleason cancer and 3 others as pre-cancerous. I'm doing IMRT radiation treatments starting in 2 weeks. If I would have gone on the basis that any psa under 4.0 was normal I could have gone a whole year's time without treating this condition!! I chose to go to a urologist instead of my family doctor and I'm so thankful I did.

George of NY 10:27PM July 15, 2010

Excellent summation of the merits of PSA testing. Patient should be informed of the implications of testing and the treatment for prostate cancer. It's interesting to see how things get distilled into dialectical talking points of pro-psa testing and anti-psa testing which are often tied to the difference between radiation treatment, radical prostatectomy, and robotic prostate surgery.
www.nycrobotics.com

Robert of NY 11:41AM July 07, 2010

I saw a 6 month doubling of my slowly rising PSA. Digital rectal exam was negative. Biopsy showed an anterior cancer. When I had it removed robotically, the were two anterior cancers. Gleason was 4/3 (moderately aggressive). I have had no incontinence. Erection is a problem. I am doing well with injections. I am a physically active 70 year old. My only problem is cholesterol and prehypertension. I believe I am a poster child for PSA testing. Anterior cancers are difficult to find on digital exams. I am enjoying life and expect to continue, thanks to PSA and robotic surgery

mel of CA 4:01PM May 02, 2010

Why have the urologists consistently fought the evidence on PSA testing over the years? The reviews that the US Preventive Services Task Force does are incredibly carefully done and based on the hard evidence. Anecdotes from guys who think "PSA worked for me" are highly selective, not reliable evidence of all the harms and benefits. How many billions of $$$ have radiologists "earned" over the last decade from PSA-driven biopsies and surgeries?

Jonathan of OR 8:44PM April 30, 2010

My Doc believed the treatment was worse than the cure. Fortuanately he moved on and my new Doc said we should do a PSA test. Test cam back 7.0 byopsy was positive with a Gleason score 0f 4 and 3. I had radical nerve sparing surgery with a nerve graft and 6 yrs later still cancer free.

Frank Coddens of WA 7:50PM April 30, 2010

I've been having regular PSA & DRE since I was 40. On January 14 at the age of 53 I had difficulty urinating and went to the doctor who identified an infection and starting a round of Cypo. 5 days later I had a complete physical and my PSA came back 16 Total and 1.3 Free. 14 months previous I scored 1.3 total.
Anxious is a word that addresss my thoughts tonight.

Platte River Kid of MO 10:57PM February 02, 2010

I had a psa of 4.5.A biopy result of a Geason 6. I recently completed Radiation therapy,as Iam 63 psa worked for me.

Walt of FL of FL 2:05PM November 27, 2009

My daughter and I had been pestering my husband for three years since he turned 50 to get a PSA test. Finally, at age 53, he had a PSA screening. It came back with a level of 18! No symptoms and no enlargement or hardening of the prostate. Initially, they thought it must be an infection so he was treated with antibiotics for three weeks and then retested. The PSA came back the second time with a level of 19. They did an ultrasound and could not see anything suspicious. It was only when they took some tissue samples when they confirmed it was prostate cancer (8 out of the 12 samples were positive). When the prostate was removed at the end of August 2009, it was discovered that the cells had travelled to the urethra. Fortunately, the follow-up PSA resulted in a 0 reading. However, because it is knownn that he has cancer cells in his urethra, once he fully heals from his surgery he is going to have radiation (probably sometime in February). His cancer was very aggressive with no detectable symptoms - without the PSA screen, we would have never known and by the time he had any noticeable symptoms, it would may have been too late to prevent metastasis.

Patient's Wife of MI 11:25AM November 24, 2009