How long did you wait for PSMA scan?

I know they are booked well in advance, I was told when I requested one that it would be a couple months, depending on the hospital I used. That last part is important, the cancer hospital that I used was back logged - which makes sense because all cancer patients might need a PET scan. When I called the other hospital in town with one it was only a week out. My hospital told me it didn't matter where I had it done. Perhaps you can call around. My insurance let's me run pretty freely with treatment and locations, so long as they are in-network (which they were) but some require that you have a direct referral so that may be your choke point.

Thanks so much for answering : ). While waiting for answers I came to the same idea and told my husband to call around. Luckily our insurance is also pretty good regarding options. Fingers crossed we will find one sooner than mid April. Gosh - some days now feel toooooo long and some events that were like yesterday look like they happened 2 weeks ago. My brain is scrambled XP.

Just know that prostate cancer is slow growing. My PSA spiked, causing this journey to begin, in May of 2024, biopsy wasn't until October and removal just six weeks ago - and I added a month to the wait intentionally to prepare physically and mentally.

So don't sweat waiting a few weeks for a test. Cancer is a busy business, there are lots of people with it, we are lucky enough to have one that grows pretty slowly - I'm sure if your doctor felt an urgency to get the PET scan he or she would have made it happen or informed you to look around. That being said, it's not unusual for some tests, especially those that are generic like MRI's, CT and PET scans, to be pretty booked up. I had to do my MRI at 3:30am just to get a spot that I felt was early enough to be of use.

Thanks for words of comfort and encouragement and for sharing your timeline. Means a lot < 3.
Honestly, I do not count on our present doctor for anything any more, so I am doing my best not to miss any window of opportunity again.
Our UCSF appointment (new doctor) is at the end of April and I want to have everything ready for that app. I do not want to wait additional month or so for scans and pathology slide transfer etc and all that caboodle.

PS: Did you have Decipher done after your biopsy or after surgery ? Our non-doctor refused to do it with explanation - you are going now for treatment so it is of no use. BUT I see here that actually members had it done to help with making plans for treatment so I am confused.

It might make a difference on the Dr you are using. I use Mayo and they prefer the orders filled at Mayo. It can make a difference I guess who does it.

The Decipher is only for the biopsy. It helps to fill in the gaps to know if the small sample was part of a bigger problem. I’m not sure how someone uses that after the initial treatment to determine future treatment.

Thanks Survivor : ), I will insist that our non-doctor sends my husband's sample for testing. It is covered by our insurance, I do not understand what is wrong with this guy honestly *sigh .

@surftohealth88
This is March and if you have an appt. to get in done in April I would be happy. These PSMA test are very specialized, and a lot are done. It has a type of radioactive solution used so very controlled and specialization of technician doing them.

I had to wait a couple of months to get mine. I think you are in good hands with it happening next month.

The radiologist will read the scan..and that should not be more than several days. I had an increase in PSA over the years and requested a PET scan. As you know, the PET scan uses a radioactive elements which is injected into the blood stream. Medically, the cancer, if any, if high in protein nodules and shows up like a "match" in a dark room. The higher the "light" the more intense the cancerous portion of the prostate is.. The PET scan will absolutely validate yes or not as to prostate cancer.

I totally can relate to the sense of urgency one has when needing to schedule the pet PSMA. My local facility also required two month wait. I ended up getting an appointment in another city (two hour drive away) that had availability with just a two week wait.
Thankfully, my PSMA result showed no involvement in bone lymph nodes, etc., however, one thing I would share is that my radiation oncologist required me to also get an MRI study done. She stated that the PET PMSA can miss about 5% of tumors. I followed her recommendation and unfortunately the MRI did show a very small tumor (that the PSMA study did not reveal). You may want to ask your provider about having an MRI in addition to the pet scan. (this said they may want to see your pet PSMA result first). Best of luck for good news!!!