Prostrate cancer symptoms in male aged 76

Breast milk contains PSA (but that’s a whole different conversation).

Even PSMA (prostate specific membrane antigen) is not “prostate cancer specific.” A dozen other organs/tissues/fluids will light up with a PSMA PET scan and not be prostate cancer.

One must tip-toe around these terms.

I think you have the misconception of PSA test. It is not the only thing needed to determine no need to worry. What are his symptoms?

Most urologist will do a a DRE to feel the prostate for obivious feel of an abnormality. Getting a PSA test will only give you a number. It does not tell you if you have cancer, or BPH. Based on PSA test and DRE that can help but not completely determine need to have further test.

Individuals with high PSA is not a diagnosis of cancer. A low PSA does not mean you do not have cancer. I had a normal PSA and I was diagnosed with cancer.
I think important that we do not infer we are medical experts on MCC and you take that as medical guidance. We can give you our personal experiences and be an inspirations but should not be seen as giving you medical guidance.

The below was taken from WEB MD. It is the basic information on prostate cancer. You can go on web sites like WEBMD, Mayo, Cleveland Clinic, John Hopkins, etc. to get medical information on BPH and prostate cancer. Look at the basis and you will see getting a PSA test is not to be seen as a test that rules out cancer or rules it in. And that is from the medical community not me as you can read below.
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Screening: DRE and PSA
Your doctor may initially do a digital rectal exam (DRE) to feel for bumps or hard spots on the prostate. After a discussion with your doctor, a blood test can be used to measure prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by prostate cells. An elevated level may indicate a higher chance that you have cancer, but you can have a high level and still be cancer-free. It is also possible to have a normal PSA and have prostate cancer.

PSA Test Results
A normal PSA level is considered to be under 4 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) of blood, while a PSA above 10 suggests a high risk of cancer. But there are many exceptions:

Men can have prostate cancer with a PSA less than 4.
A prostate that is inflamed (prostatitis) or enlarged (BPH) can boost PSA levels, yet further testing may show no evidence of cancer.
Some BPH drugs can lower PSA levels, despite the presence of prostate cancer, called a false negative.
If either a PSA or DRE test are abnormal, your doctor will likely order other tests.

Twenty years ago I went in for my annual physical (I was 63 at the time) and she did a DRE which revealed a lump on my prostate. She ordered a biopsy ( painful but short lived) which revealed that I had prostate cancer, with a Gleason score of 6. While 6 is fairly low I opted for the aggressive response of a radical prostatectomy. After the surgery I thought that I had nothing more to worry about in terms of cancer, and that assumption held for 20 years until a a blood test administered during a routine physical revealed an elevated PSA. That led me to Georgetown University Hospital where the resident oncologist prescribed cyberknife treatments. They were efficacious for a while but the cancer kept popping up until I was told that more radiation would be harmful, and I was reassigned to my present oncologist, who has me on doublet therapy. Now I'm back in a wait and see state, as we play whack-a-mole withe the cancer cells, presently in my lymph nodes. While all of this has been a bother, I'm grateful that I've reached 83 without any significant side effects, and am praying that the meds can keep the cancer from metastasizing further for a time. During this process, I read everything I can about my condition and join forums such as this one. 🫰🙏🏼🫰🙏🏼

@nparadisum
You seemed to have a very positive attitude toward having this disease. That is important in any disease.

If I read right it was 20 years ago that your prostate cancer was diagnosed. The diagnosis and treatments since then have drastically improved. I know a friend of mine who had RP in mid 90s mentioned there was not a lot of choices in doing radiation like there is today.

Even in the short time since I was diagnosed so many more diagnostic and treatments have emerged. I hope that someday this disease will be easily cured, and I did say cured. But even better medical advancements to keep from ever getting prostate cancer.

Good luck and like your said keep your from metastasizing any further.