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psa levels

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Q: Is a sudden rise in psa levels indicative of spreading cancer?
His psa has always been pretty static after radiotherapy 4/5 years ago, but over last few months it has shot up to nearly 28 from mid-teens. We are waiting for a bone scan to see if the cancer has spread. Could it have spread with no pain anywhere? What are the options? It is all quite frightening – he is 71.
Any info in words of one syllable would be appreciated.

A: Unfortunately, this usually suggests growth of the cancer, though any spread may not be detectable at this time. A bone scan is a logical next step. If it shows disease, and assuming he is not on any other therapy, his options generally are:
1) Clinical trial
2) GnRH agonist like Lupron or Trelstar
If he is on Lupron or similar shot, then the addition of an anti-androgen like Casodex is usually next step (again, outside of a clinical trial option).
If his PSA is higher, but NO evidence of disease spread can be found, then it is perfectly resaonable to just watch. Why? Wouldn’t starting therapy now possibly prevent something? Well, maybe, but also it may be a year or more before any disease pops up. If he has side effects from the shot he will be enduring those for nothing till then, so it is a trade-off.
In my experience most men succumb to “PSA anxiety” and want to do something, not watch.
In any case, he may go years with successful Lupron-type therapy and do very well.
Blessings

Q: How to lowr PSA levels?
I have read that drinking two quarts of water a day will lower PSA levels. Is this true, or just an old wives tale. I have opted against having a biopsy or any surgical procedure.

A: Follow as below.-

Step 1

Eat pomegranates to increase your intake of antioxidants. Scientific research supports the fact that the natural antioxidants in pomegranate give it power to help prevent and even treat cancer. While pomegranate has been indicated for other types of cancer, the most promising research is with prostate cancer in men. Regular consumption of pomegranate juice can lower PSA levels in the body.
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Step 2

Add foods to your diet that are rich in vitamin D or take vitamin D supplements. Epidemiological studies propose that Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased PSA levels in men. Vitamin D has been demonstrated to reduce the number of prostate cancer cells.
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Step 3

Control your weight. Biological markers for obesity and diabetes in Afro-American men often mask increased levels of PSA, which go hand in hand with diabetes. Weight control, although indirect, is a very important factor in reducing the level of PSA in this population.
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Step 4

Use herbal remedies. There are several herbal remedies aimed at reducing the levels of PSA. These include various doses and combinations of saw palmetto, nettle root, pygeum (a type of tree bark), garlic and rye pollen. Several of these have scientific evidence of reduction of PSA level.
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Step 5

Lower your cholesterol levels. High PSA levels in the United States are associated with high cholesterol in the diet, including consumption of red meat and unhealthy fat. Asian and Mediterranean nutrition appears to have PSA lowering benefits such as low-calorie, soy-based food, fruit, vegetables, seafood and heart healthy oil.

Q: My grandfather recently went to the doctor because he was feeling weak and they found that his PSA levels were?
26, does this indicate that he does have prostate cancer? He has painful and burning time using the bathroom and it’s been hard for him to do either one. Does this mean it has spread to his bones? He goes to the doctor on December 30th I just wanted to be prepared. thanks
He’s 83 years old. He’s been feeling really weak, painful to go to bathroom, getting up alot at night to go. Lost alot of weight.

A: Certainly 26 is a high number for the PSA. It doesn’t necessarily mean cancer, because there are a lot of false positives even with high PSAs. The doctor will probably want to obtain a biopsy sample for lab analysis. Don’t jump to any conclusions yet about cancer or the spread of cancer to other areas; wait until the doctor can make a proper diagnosis.

Q: Can rising PSA levels be caused by something besides cancer cells in the prostate?

A: Hi,

Yes, PSA levels can rise in other conditions, such as, BPH and prostatitis. Levels greater than 10 are more suggestive of cancer. Of course, your physician would be the one needed to rule out cancer or other reasons for the PSA being elevated.

Hope this helps.

Nate
Clinical Lab Scientist

Q: Can dehydration affect PSA levels?
Is it possible for dehydration to affect PSA levels?

Thanks!

A: Depends on the effect of the dehydration. Due to not drinking anything your blood cells will dilate, but it couldn’t have to much of an effect on the PSA level. Just drink a few cups o water =]
Best of luck,

Q: Does anyone know ways to lower a males PSA levels regarding prostrate cancer?

A: PSA (prostate specific antigen) is not something that you can lower. There can be false-positives, that is, the count can be incorrect, but a high PSA – over 4.0 – may be a sign of early stages of prostate cancer.

A person with either a high PSA or a sudden increase in PSA from the previous test should see a urologist ASAP. It may be necessary to biopsy the prostate to determine whether cancer cells are present.

Prostate cancer is not a “death sentence”. If caught early and the cancer is fully contained in the prostate and has not migrated out of the prostate gland, a cure is possible. There are many new techniques and treatments that are available. In some cases, and especially with elderly men, the cancer is so slow growing that many urologists suggest no treatment at all. The saying is that you will probably die with prostate cancer, not from it. But, each case is different and competent, experienced urologists should be consulted in all cases.

Q: Any Links Show The Statistics of The Prostate PSA levels for Men 50 Years Old and Above?

A: The only thing you need to know is, if it is at 4.0, or higher, you need a biopsy immediately. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

BHP can be a cause of elevated PSA, but so can cancer. And a 4.0 level has shown to be present in advanced metastatic prostate cancer.

Get ‘er checked.

Q: Does anyone know of a person with prostrate cancer? What were the psa levels?
Tell me you story,now if possible. Thanks so much!!

A: Certainly, an increased PSA level can be a symptom of prostate cancer. About a year ago, my husband’s PSA level increased from the “normal” range (usually 3-4) and, over a period of 4-5 months, went to 7. The urologist did a biopsy and determinined that it was definitely prostate cancer. But he said that, with a PSA level of only 7, that it was obviously not very advanced. (He said that with prostate cancer it’s usually 15-20). He said that “statistically” we could wait for a year before deciding what to do about it — or we could choose to act on it immediately. Well, at my insistence, we did go ahead and act on it immediately. Turned out that it was definitely advanced and had traveled outside his prostate. He had his prostate removed and then 2 months of radiation. His prognosis right now is very good … very-very good at his last couple of check-ups. Even the urologist subsequently told us that, in my husband’s case, acting on it quickly was the best choice we could have made. So — BOTTOM-LINE — the doctors do the best they can and they give you the statistics … but it’s up to YOU to take treatment into your own hands and push for what you think is right for you.

Q: removed prostate cancer, rising psa levels?
my dad is 70 had his prostate removed around 3 years ago. he’s been fine ever since, but recently he had a blood test that showed chnages in his psa levels? what does this mean. has the cancer spread through the body or still where the prostate used to be

A: If your father had his prostate removed they removed the whole thing. A rising PSA is an indication of disease progression, but this does not mean it has spread through the body. It is not unusual for a PSA to start rising years before metastatic disease is evident and it is not likely any other tests will be run at this point. Hormone therapy should keep it manageable for years to come. Typically prostate cancer is slow growing and many patients live 15-20 years with the disease.

Q: prostate cancer and psa levels?
hi, my dad has been diagnosed with pc, psa level of 374, controllable but not curable, been put on cyprostat tablets then injections. He has a swollen lympg gland n neck, but no other symptoms. Docs not giving him bone scan as said the treatment would be the same anyway, and why find things they can’t do anymore for! I need to understand this more, what does it all mean, can this always be controlled or is it just a matter of time? anyone got any experiences? what questions should i ask my dad to understand it better? thanks

A: Hi, I am no expert, but I have worked on a urology ward in the past. During this time I met quite a few patients with prostate cancer, some of them had been patients for years. The hospital where I worked had a research department and many Prostate patienets were recruited onto clinical trials, although there is usually an age restriction as they will not recruit patients if they are less than five years away from the average life expectancy (I think the cut off is somewhere between 75 and 80 I can’t remember exactly. Some of the patients also had bone scans which showed secondary involvement. The treatments used ranged from radical prostatectomy to hormone treatment (this was used on research patients) and in most instances these treatments worked pretty well. However, I would hate to give you false hope, 374 is pretty high and the swollen lymph glands mean that there is a probability that the cancer has spread. There are a number of support groups where you will be able to get more specialist advice and I strongly recommend that you join one, or at least look on a website. Here are a few links that you may find useful:

http://www.labtestsonline.org.uk/understanding/analytes/psa/test.html

http://www.prostate-cancer.org.uk/

http://www.prostatecancerfoundation.org/

I hope your father’s condition continues to be control and I wish you well for the future, Mel.

Q: If someone is diagnosed with prostate cancer, could the PSA levels go down even without treatment?

A: Yes, PSA can be affected by a lot of matters even without formal “treatment” with drugs, though we are not always immediately aware of what’s causing the change. I remember one in-progress study when I worked in a research center involved eating boiled broccoli! Nevertheless, PSA needs to be watched very closely.

Q: are there proven way to lower your psa levels?

A: The actual goal is not simply to lower your prostate-specific antigen, but to successfully treat an underlying disorder causing it to rise, most significantly, prostate cancer. PSA is only a marker for the cancer. I am not aware that PSA is harmful of itself.

Have your prostate examined thoroughly and follow your doctors advice on whatever problem may be found. Prostate stones, inflammation, infection, and enlargement can all raise the PSA but not so high as prostate cancer can.

If you smoke quit. Smoking elevates PSA slightly. Below is a link to government information about the PSA test.

Hope this helps.

Q: Are there ways to lower down the psa level of a person who already undergo an operation?
im askin if there are ways to lower down the psa level after your prostate gland been removed.

A: Hello,

I am answering this assuming that you – or someone you know – has had their prostate removed because they had prostate cancer, and now the PSA has stayed somewhat elevated or begun to rise. (Please clarify if this is not the case.)

If the PSA begins to rise following a prostatectomy (removal of prostate) and continues to rise, it is a good sign that there is some cancer somewhere. (If the PSA is present but at a steady low level, it is possible that this is not prostate cancer, but a continually rising PSA is a likely cancer persistence/recurrence.

If this occurs, there are three possible considerations for treatment:
1. Watch and wait – while this will NOT bring down the prostate, it is possible in some people that the cancer will never cause any problems. Prostate cancer is usually very slow growing, and so often can be present without requiring treatment. Different clinicians approach this option differently, and while some strongly recommend watching for a while initially, others will strongly recommend immediate treatment as per below.
2. Radiation – if the PSA is still reasonably low or it is soon after surgery, then it may be the case that the residual cancer is still nearby where the prostate is. In this case, it is reasonable to try to radiate the area in hoping of cleaning up the microscopic spots of cancer that are remaining. If all the cancer is near to the prostate, then the PSA will go down following treatment.
3. Hormonal therapy – For patients with spread of prostate cancer beyond the prostate area, (usually to the bones) the best treatment is hormonal therapy. There are many forms of this, but the most commonly used today are either pills or injections every 1-3 months that cause a decrease in testosterone levels. Since prostate cancer usually depends upon testosterone for growth, this will slow the progression of any cancer ANYWHERE in the body, and the PSA will usually drop quite dramatically.

Hopefully this is helpful. Let me know if I’m off-base on my assumption.

Q: If a man has a PSA level of 10, does that mean he definitely has prostate cancer?
MY father just told me a truth I was not ready for, but they say that we fear what we don’t know. Is there a chance that everything could be alright even with a PSA level of 10? Is it possible that prostate cancer doesn’t exactly mean an early death?

A: An elevated PSA does not necessarily mean prostate cancer, it can be due to inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis) which is usually due to an infection that can be treated. If caught early prostate cancer can have a good prognosis with surgical removal of the tumor. There are other options such as hormonal therapy and radiation in addition to surgery or if surgery is not an option.

http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/psa/test.html#what

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000380.htm

Q: I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer,my PSA levels are now 2.5.?
Shall I elect to have prostate surgery, radiation or continue the “wait and see” process?

A: The easy answer is to FIX the cancer using natural methods, and those methods are backed by NIH research. What more evidence and motivation do you want to start RIGHT NOW?

PS: Surgery, radiation and chemo ***can*** make your condition worse, and surgery definitely can make your possible cancer metastatise; so rule those out and take a 3 month chance with what I am going to say here.

I have posted this in response to others, since I know from personal experience that it works. Please note this method is validated by NIH and I am giving those links in the sources.

Look for “Budwig Protocol” (the support group whose link I am giving below has all the information you will need to get you started on this), used successfully in about 90% of cases, used for over 50 years by this doctor. And it is followed by a lot of people all over the world, and you have a very supportive and knowledgeable group who can help you at every step. The implementation of this protocol is very simple: Flaxseed and Flaxoil inhibits, stops and reverses growth and metastatis of cancer; plus you need to get off bad diets and move to simpler and cleaner food.

Since there is so much opposition to any non-conformative methods, I am giving links to research by NIH, the most premier medical research institute in the world (www.nih.gov). Terminally ill people with Stage 4 terminal who were given weeks to live have gotten themselves completely cured using this method. You will see results in 1-2 weeks and very good improvements in a month or two months time (it is equally easy to prevent cancer by following a minimal part of this protocol).

You can also go to NIH site, and search for ‘”flax oil” cancer’ and find more references. Please check the references I am giving below (note the research is on breast cancer, but there is essentially no difference – cancer is cancer; plus the support group has tons of prostate cancer testimonials and current/cured patients that you can look up).

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