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prostate numbers

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Q: What do numbers mean in prostate cancer screening?
My guy told me today that after his recent lab work, it showed “high numbers” in regards to his prostate health. He has an appointment to see a specialist in January. Can someone who has been there or knows about this explain to me what these high numbers mean? I’m not sure he understands himself or doesn’t want to worry me. He is 63 & otherwise in good health, his father had prostate cancer. I am very worried. Thanks.

A: If his numbers have been low all along and now they are suddenly high, this could be a warning sign of prostate cancer. He should follow through with his appointment to see a urologist and take the warning very seriously. Prostate cancer is not necessarily a death sentence but must be regarded as a serious health problem, and he should take the advice of his physicians. But not all cases of high PSA have prostate cancer, some of them just have high PSA and we don’t know why.

Q: can a pulled musle in shoulder cause prostate cancer numbers to go up?
Long story short:
my uncle died from prostate cancer a year ago.
this caused my dad to go to the doctor. He was told he had the cancer. he goes to the doc every 6months. his numbers are going up.
He went to a natural doctor and was told he does not have the prostate cancer but he has a pulled muscle in shoulder (lymphatic i think he said) and thats causing his numbers to go up.
Could this be true?
oh sorry its not a pulled muscle but a nerve…..

A: doctors often base their diagnosis on a blood test called a PSA, that is called prostatic specific antigen, and it is not affected by damaged nerves or muscles in other parts of the body, your dad’s naturopath is incorrect.
The test is very specific and reacts only to antigens originating in the prostate gland… suggest your dad go back to real doctors and stop buying the naturopath’s diagnosis, especially since your uncle died from the disease.

Q: Are these PSA numbers for prostate normal?
I read that if it’s above a 4 then there’s a 25% chance of cancer, but others write that it has to be above 20 to be a real concern and so much other info I don’t know how to make it out. I know a man in his late 60s who said his PSA went from 2 to 4 in a year, but 4 seems low for someone that age since I’ve read men in their 50s have higher numbers. Do you have any idea how bad or normal that is?

A: The normal PSA values are from zero to four ~ (0 – 4.0). Recently they have set five 5.0 as normal for men over fifty. Most Urologists now keep a close watch on the PSA Velocity i.e. how fast it increases over a specific period of time. For example the man you know of who had his PSA rise from 2 to 4 in a year had his PSA double which would raise a flag for his Urologist and he probably should have had a biopsy performed to check for cancer even though it was still below the normal high of 4. However a Urologist will take other things into consideration that can raise the PSA besides a malignant tumor, e.g. a benign tumor, a prostate infection and an enlarged prostate, (also called BPH). I’ve had my PSA go up to 10 caused by a prostate infection and had it hit 6 & 7 several times from prostatitis. In 2002 it went up to 12.3 and when antibiotics didn’t bring it down below 10.7 I had a biopsy performed and was diagnosed with PCa, a.k.a. PC or (prostate cancer). That was the third biopsy I had in about 10 years due to having high PSA’s.

Q: What do these PSA numbers for prostate cancer mean?
If it was 20 last year and 40 this year. At least that’s what he said but not sure what it means, I think he said 20 million parts?
he is in his 60s

A: Last few years my PSA level was 2 and this January it jumped to 5 so my doctor sent me to a urologist who did a biopsy of the prostate and it came back positive for prostate cancer. I had the most aggressive type. I had a procedure called cryo therapy where the prostate is frozen. So when there is a big jump in PSA levels its best to get it checked quick before it spreads beyond the prostate.

Q: Dad has prostate cancer and his numbers have gone up…?
I’m not sure what numbers it is but basicly its getting worse.
What are something(s) that he should do so he doesn’t die from this?

He wants to travel 1000 miles to a “health” doctor because “natural is better” he thinks. Is this a good idea? or should he follow his doctors care?
Thanks

A: There is no natural cure for cancer. Depending on the numbers he needs surgery or hormone treatment. Another factor is age. He has several options but a good Doctor is needed to help with his decisions. I had surgery and am now on hormone treatment to slow the growth of the cancer. If you’re in the U.S. prostate cancer is a 100% disability with Social Security. After 8 months on the hormone treatment the cancer is growing again. Contrary to popular belief all prostate cancer isn’t slow growing. Good luck.

Q: Is there an epidemic of prostate cancer? It seems like everybody’s getting it but living with it treated early?
One out of 5 men have prostate cancer, staggering numbers. But it seems that as long as it’s caught early and treated right away you go right on with your life. Personal experiences?
The word I should have used is proliferation instead of epidemic.

A: You might take another look at the statistic that you quote. Maybe one man in five will get it in his lifetime, but one in five do not have it right now. The National Cancer Institute sponsors a lecture series at NIH annually that talks about cancers and research and what to do in the clinical setting based on current research findings. They call the series TRACO which stands for something like Translational Research for Clinical Oncology. The lectures are scientific, but also can be understood with a little effort and always discuss treatments.
You will find them at the site below. It is necessary to follow the links.
And, you will find that the presenters have the view that more is discovered because of earlier tests. It may not be that more men are getting it just now. Also, they present the idea that there are aggressive forms and relatively slow growing forms and that the aggressive forms will have serious negative consequences. The talk this year was given recently and dealt with the prostate cancers that do not respond well to chemical castration. Last year’s talk is more general. Hope you can benefit by these videos.

Q: I have just been told I have prostate cancer! Which way do the numbers favor? Radiation or Removal?

A: This is a question for the medical professionals

Q: why is 3.5 too high for prostate exam?
age 78 everything works… prostate numbers are growing slowly upwards…
licopene red veggies
TOMATOES forever…. Why cooked, are better?
HOW MUCH OF THAT RED STUFF DO I HAVE TO EAT ?
what number means problems to resolve. surgery,radioactive

A: At 51 years of age I had a 3.6 PSA. My doctor said it had risen .75 per year for two years so it was of concern.

I then had an fPSA (free PSA) test which test the percentage of FREE to BOUND PSA. My FREE PSA percentage was only 13%, which strongly indicates cancer.

My biopsy revealed a 3+3=6 score for cancer.

I had surgery and glad I did.

I have NO family history and eat perfectly to protect from prostate cancer. So much for that.

Read Patrick Walsh’s ‘Surviving Prostate Cancer’ for the latest info on dealing with it. It’s the bible on the subject.

Also, www.phoenix.org is the best site I found on the subject.

Q: Is there a concern for prostate cancer with this?
If his PSA number doubles from 2 to 4 in one year, but up to 4 is considered in the normal range and above it is only 25% chance of cancer, is that still a cause to worry? He’s in his 60s so I’m assuming those numbers are ok?

A: When my PSA was 4.3 I found out that I had cancer of the prostate. I was 62 at the time. That was 12 years ago. I had other tests where they took biopsies and found out that I had it. I had cryosurgery to get rid of it.

Q: Is it possible to have prostate cancer and no prostate?!?!?
My Father had his prostate removed last february do to cancer
but his numbers are going higher and higher!! drs. are puzzled all tests show nothing …is it possible to still have prostate cancer and no prostate? could they have left some in there?
so confused please help if you can.

A: When the prostate is removed during radical prostatectomy it does not grow back. I had surgery in October for prostate cancer. “When the PSA rises after radical prostatectomy the relevant question is whether there is a local recurrence of the prostate cancer ( return of the cancer to the area where it was first identified) or a distant disease (metastatic disease). Overall, about 30% of men with detectable PSA levels after radical prostatectomy have local recurrences, whereas about 70% are anticipated to have distant disease alone or distant disease combined with local disease. Several options are available, including watchful waiting, external beam radiation therapy, and hormone therapy.”

“when the PSA is increasing after definitive therapy, the physician may want to re-stage the patient to determine where the cancer is. It is helpful in the decision making to determine whether the cancer is confined to the area where that prostate was, or in the pelvis, or whether it has spread outside of the prostate area, for example to the bones, or lymph nodes higher up in the abdomen. Methods used in this staging process may be a bone scan, a ProstaScint scan, and/or a CT scan of the abdomen and the pelvis.”

There is still hope of a cure with recurrent prostate cancer and with agressive treament early on, there is a better chance of effectively treating the cancer that has remained.

Information is the best weapon to fight this disease, please take comfort in the fact that prostate cancer is a curable disease and there are many options for treatment, even when one treatment has failed. My prayers go to you and your family at this difficult time.

Q: What is a normal PSA reading post prostatectomy?
I have heard that Normal is 0.00 after a prostatectomy. And if the numbers increase, that there is still cancer left in the body. My husband’s is 0.30 It has been 6 years this next July that he had prostate removed, and it has increased this much. Is this considered aggressive?

A: Since prostate tissue is the only source of PSA, the post-prostatectomy levels should be near zero. However, there is some “noise” in the test, and the result may not be exactly zero. The most important thing to watch is not the level, but the trend. You didn’t give any earlier test results. If the PSA level is trending upward over time, then there is cause for concern, and some further treatment may be appropriate — I won’t go into the specifics of what treatment might be selected, since I know nothing about your husband’s age or condition, or whether the tumor had spread through the capsule of the prostate before his surgery.

Q: How healthy is milk and cheese?
Apparently, demographic studies have shown a clear correlation: consumption of dairy is positively correlated with heart disease, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and diabetes. The correlation numbers are huge and staggering. However, even PBS is pushing dairy foods in their cooking shows.

It appears that mass media is inundated with advertising dollars from dairy associations to produce milk mustache commercials and other promotions. Can media be trusted when it comes to the alleged health benefits of dairy?
Livy: Fiber comes from plant based foods. Dairy contains no fiber.
David: Dr. T. Colin Campbell has 3 decades of peer reviewed scientific studies showing huge correlations between the consumption of dairy food products and diseases such as heart disease, stroke, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and diabetes. It’s not a scare tactic. Who would profit if it were? Who would profit by a denial?
Livy: Calcium in milk is not readily available to humans. In the famous Nurses’ study, women who drank more milk had higher rates of bone fractures and more osteoporosis. Cow milk is far less beneficial than calcium in kale or collards (leafy greens).

Huge dollars are spent by the dairy association to mislead us.

A: Dairy is absolutely awful for your body. Worst thing you could consume (well, other than the obvious like cigarettes and drugs).

Dairy is just a HUGE money maker. Think of how many industries are based off of it. There are the dairy farms, the manufacturers, the yogurt companies, the ice cream companies, the cheese companies, the butter companies… LOTS of things have dairy, so society promotes it because of the large part it plays in the economy.

But as for you, personally, and your body… Steer clear! It’s the best thing you could do for yourself.

Q: My dad is going in for a “prostate” type of procedure?
So my dad went to do his yearly doctors check up and his results came back a week later that showed a trace of something wrong with his prostate? The doctor didnt really go into detail but basically said he would need to run another test and if there was anything…that he would need to have a procedure done. Sometimes doctors leave you in left field so I just wanted to know if anyone can kinda undertand what Im talking about and fill me in with any information or what to expect.

The doctor perscribed him an antibiotic for him to take for 2 months and he is scheduled to go back to see if the antibiotic “lowered his numbers”? If the “numbers” are still high, the the doctor will have to do a procedure to either prevent or remove prostate cancer? This is so confusing to all of us. If the “numbers” are low, then he wont need anything done.

Can anyone relate? And if so, what kind of procedure is he talking about? And what are “numbers” referring to? And if he has this procedure…how long will he be in the hospital and how long will the recovery be?

Any info will help :)

A: It sounds like your dad had his PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) levels measured by his doctor. This is done by a simple blood test done at the doctor’s office. High levels of PSA in the blood can be caused by a number of factors, one of which is prostate cancer. Also, bacterial prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate gland caused by a bacteria) can cause PSA levels to be high. The antibiotics that his doctor prescribed will likely kill the bacteria and cure the prostatitis, but would have no effect on prostate cancer. So, if at the end of the course of antibiotics, your dad’s PSA levels are still high, his doctor will likely progress to more invasive tests (a prostate biposy perhaps) verify whether or not cancer is the cause.

Q: My dad is going in for a “prostate” type procedure?
So my dad went to do his yearly doctors check up and his results came back a week later that showed a trace of something wrong with his prostate? The doctor didnt really go into detail but basically said he would need to run another test and if there was anything…that he would need to have a procedure done. Sometimes doctors leave you in left field so I just wanted to know if anyone can kinda undertand what Im talking about and fill me in with any information or what to expect.

The doctor perscribed him an antibiotic for him to take for 2 months and he is scheduled to go back to see if the antibiotic “lowered his numbers”? If the “numbers” are still high, the the doctor will have to do a procedure to either prevent or remove prostate cancer? This is so confusing to all of us. If the “numbers” are low, then he wont need anything done.

Can anyone relate? And if so, what kind of procedure is he talking about? And what are “numbers” referring to? And if he has this procedure…how long will he be in the hospital and how long will the recovery be?

Any info will help. Thanks :)

A: The numbers are likely the result of his PSA (Prostatic Specific Antigen) test. The lower the number, the less likely he has prostate cancer. The higher the number, the more likely he has (or will develop) prostate cancer.

The procedure that is being discussed is difficult to guess without knowing the results of the test.

Some men have to have their prostate irradiated, some receive chemo therapy, some have theirs shaved down a bit, others have to get cancer surgically removed, and still others have their prostate removed. The procedure could also be something else entirely.

Why not ask your Mom or Dad about it? They are your best source of information about this.

Q: Prostate Cancer spread to Vertebrea?
I am in a relationship with a doctor for 2 years. He told me he had prostate cancer. He said it was gone w/ radiation. On a Tues nite, he said, I have back pain. I am going to see my Dr. Wed morning he told me cancer had spread to his bones & he received his first chemo. He then went to a foreign country to have a large lesion zapped from his bone with radiation. He now said he is receiving chemo once a week for multiple small lesions on his vertebrea.He went to the foreign country again 4 radiation to zap another lesion. He goes through all bad side affects every week, says he is so sick and weak. He is fine the next day & lives a very active normal life. I DO NOT THINK HE HAS CANCER.. He does not want to lose me, his ex wife has come back to live with him to help out while he is ill. He has never given me his telephone numbers, or where he lives. He has visited me at my home and has both my telephone numbers. Is it possible 4 him to have chemo 4 2yrs. straight 4 bone cancer

A: First clue– no phone numbers or address after TWO YEARS???
Second clue– once a patient has completed radiation, they can no longer have radiation to the same area.
Third clue– his doctor could not have diagnosed him with the metastises to his spine without doing imaging, such as an MRI or CT scan with contrast.
Fourth clue– A foreign country? C’MON!!!
Fifth clue– His EX-wife? REALLY!! To add to the fourth clue above, he’s been home with her while he’s supposedly in that foreign country (I’ll bet he hasn’t told you WHICH country, has he?) It’s the same reason “he’s so sick and weak”.
Of course he doesn’t want to “lose you”. If he did, he’d have no booty call available.
This dude is playing you for a fool, and you’ve ALREADY lost 2 years of your life to be with him. I don’t care if he IS a doctor (he may not be, since he’s lied about everything else). If he was, he’d know more about medical treatment for prostate cancer than the crap he’s been feeding to you about it!
Kick his a$$ to the curb and move on. You deserve far better than that pond scum.

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