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Worried and Looking for Some Advice
Hello, I'm hoping I can get some tips from those on this forum regarding my situation...
My situation: I'm a 52 yr old male that just returned from my wellness visit with my new Primary Doctor and I have my blood work results.
My PSA result is 2.004, which the Doctor didn't even mention as it shows in the chart as being in the middle of the normal range (0 - 4). However, I'm only 52 and I remembered that I had blood work done almost exactly 2 years ago (2023) and the PSA result was 1.4. So it went from 1.4 to 2.004 in two years.
However, the current (most recent) test used CMIA and the test 2 years ago used the ECLIA method, and I don't know if they're comparable.
I do have concern here because I have a cousin that was diagnosed with prostate cancer at 57 years old in 2023, which is what prompted me to get mine checked at that time. The indicator for him was escalating PSA. My grandfather also had prostate cancer but it was diagnosed in his 70s.
I emailed the Doctor and he said it was a "good question," and that we would continue to do a yearly PSA to track it and if it went higher than 4.0 he would schedule an MRI.
Taking the above into account, do you think I have anything to worry about right now? Should I be content with "watch it yearly"?
Thanks, Mike
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No, I don't think you have anything to worry about. You're on the right track by monitoring. If you start to show a trend upward it sounds like you and your doctor will be on top of it. It's good you're having regular checks and can catch something early if that's the case. Many don't check their PSA.
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3 Reactionsyou dont have high PSA...lots of things can cause a slight PSA rise...get checked every 6 months or if you notice any blood in urine, semen.. etc..
but for now, quit worrying...you are fine.
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4 ReactionsI really appreciate these responses. Thank you so much.
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1 Reaction@mikeg73
I am going to give you my personal experience with this. A rising PSA number is what a poster posted previously as same a check engine light in your car. When it is rising it needs to be checked.
A rising PSA number can be caused by many issues. BPH and or prostate cancer. I had a normal PSA number but rising PSA number. My PCP did not like the rising numbers so did a PSA every 3 months. When it kept rising referred me urologist who did DRE and normal. Did MRI and found suspicious areas and biopsies diagnoses cancer.
That is my expereince with this and thus from my expereince I would asked for more frequent PSA test to see if continuing to rise versus doing it only once a year. Even if not cancer should consider BPH as many treatments out there to reduce it and proprably would reduce PSA.
Talk to your medical doctor about your concerns. Having a normal PSA does not mean you do not have cancer. Having a above normal PSA does not mean you have cancer.
Good luck
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4 Reactions@mikeg73
Per @jeffmarc 's suggestion, you might want to get the PSE blood test before the MRI or a biopsy. It is a biomarker blood test that in conjunction with a PSA test, will tell you if you are likely, or unlikely to have prostate cancer.
Here is a link to the Oxford Biodynamics web site that discusses the PSE test:
https://www.94percent.com/
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1 ReactionThank you all for the information. I do appreciate it!
I'm planning to track my PSA at least yearly (but perhaps I'll push it to 6 months), to see if I have a significant continued upward trend. Right now I only have 2 data points, but those are sloping upward.
However, here's another little complication I'm in... my Doctor just recently put me on Candesartan 8 mg tablet to be taken daily for my high blood pressure (average 170/120). According to our good friend Google, there are some reports that drug may reduce PSA scores.
SO... good grief... I have high blood pressure because I worry about this stuff, and now I just started taking blood pressure pills because of all the worrying, now the dang pills I take can impact my PSA score!
How do I win? 🙁
I would go with the 6 month suggestion offered by @xahnegrey40. It will give you more data points to chart the PSA velocity, which is more important than the raw number.
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3 Reactions54 here and have tracked my PSA for over a decade, it started spiking two years ago and finally got over that 4 mark last year, that's when all the tests happened and the cancer addressed. I do hope that your spike is nothing to be concerned about, and at this point it is, but you should be proactive from now on and maybe ask for a PSE test to just confirm - same blood test but much more accurate than a PSA to know if your spike is cancer related or not.
As I was told many times: a high PSA doesn't mean cancer and a low PSA doesn't mean lack of. My urologist told me repeatedly about men with very low PSA's that had it and very high PSA's that didn't. This isn't yet an exact science, but the PSE is closing that gap.
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2 ReactionsHi Survivor5280, do you know if a PSE can be done through a primary Doctor, or does it need to be ordered from a Urologist?
I don't know the answer to that, but I would ask your PCP and see, but I suspect they can do it since they are just placing an order with Labcorp (or whomever) anyway.