Extremely Erratic PSA Levels after COVID and Vaccine

Posted by goodguy @goodguy, Dec 5 1:43pm

My issue started about three years ago. For years, my PSA had remained stable in the normal range, except I think for one time prior to this. In March of 2021 it jumped from 3.2 to 6.1 from the previous six month reading. Around the time I had COVID that I new of for the first time. Subsequent test in April 2019 had it down to 3.9.

Elected in August 2021 to have the Pfizer vaccine. Six-month PSA check in September 2021 had jumped to 7.6, then in November 6.5. And it has been all over the place since then:
Mar 22 - 8.8 / Apr 22 - 5.2 / Sep 22 - 10.7 / Sep 22 - 25
You get the picture.

In Nov 22, a Prostate MRI was done. Results yielded the evidence of BPH, and Chronic Prostatitis, but nothing suspicious otherwise.
In I believe August of 23 finally gave in to have biopsy done. 12 Cores taken, all showed negative for any cancer.

PSA is still wildly fluctuating. Old Urologist retired. New guy opted to do an MDX screening of the samples. Of the 12, only 6 were still viable for MDX, but those were all negative. Planning a second biopsy to harvest fresh cores for a redo of the MDX just to be sure, but given the history, don't expect anything different.

Does anyone know or have any familiarity with a situation such as mine, and what might be causing the high PSA readings with no cancer evidence?

Thanks!

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gently | @gently | Dec 5 2:25pm

Thanks for posting @goodguy. Quite interesting and might prove very helpful. https://www.clinical-genitourinary-cancer.com/article/S1558-7673(23)00102-7/fulltext

goodguy | @goodguy | Dec 5 2:52pm

In reply to @gently "Thanks for posting @goodguy. Quite interesting and might prove very helpful. https://www.clinical-genitourinary-cancer.com/article/S1558-7673(23)00102-7/fulltext" + (show)

Thanks. I've seen some info similar to that. Makes me wonder if COVID and/or the vaccine has done some permanent damage to my prostate.

gently | @gently | Dec 5 2:57pm

Hope not, but suspect that this is a total body effect, maybe not even evident in the prostate itself. I suspect the salivary glands. A PSMA/PET would tell, but you probably can't even get one without biopsy evidence.

vincescs | @vincescs | Dec 6 6:29am

I suspect there is also some variability in the lab analysis that is contributing to the variation in your results. I don't know the precision or accuracy of the test, but I suspect that if you asked Labcorp or Quest to see their method validation data they would not share the report.

ralanis | @ralanis | Dec 6 9:53am

Hello..... I started reading this and I thought I wrote it. Pretty much exactly the same. Vaccine sometime in 2020. December 2021 I got COVID. The night started with symptoms, I went to the restroom like 9 times. March 2022, I started going more frequently to the restroom. I decided that it was time for my first ever PSA test with general practitioner: 8.57. A month later, with an urology, 6.52. From here, it moves up and down. Last one in October 2024, 7.88. I've done biopsy and two MRI's. Thank to God, no cancer, no lesion found.

I need to disclose that my dad, who is almost 90, is always rushing to the restroom since I remember although, I have never heard him complain about any prostate issue.

As I consider this BPH, without my Urologist saying it so, I am planning on Prostate Artery Embolization.

Good luck.