Brother diagnosed

Nick

Given the circumstances I would definitely suggest you have a PSA test. The main thing, however, it not to accept "It's normal" as a result from your GP. Ask for the ACTUAL figure, write it down and re-test a year later (if within normal range of 0 to 4). If the PSA is "elevated" (and believe me, that can be anything higher than normal) then establish a regime of tests over a suitable period e.g. 3 to 6 months. It's the trend that counts but if you end up with a contentious figure ( say 10+) then swing into action sooner. Mine was 153 and I was a "goner" - don't be like me and don't take "No" for an answer http://community.prostatecanceruk.org/editors/tiny_mce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif

PS - I saw a guy diagnosed with a PSA of 3.8 - within "normal". Problem was he had a long family history of PCa and his PSA had been steady at 0.8 for years. This is a complex disease with no definitive answers but forewarned is forearmed.

Just seen this, Jamie mentioned it at Leicester when i was talking to him. so glad i took his advice http://community.prostatecanceruk.org/editors/tiny_mce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif

I was asked if there was one item that was a real game changer at the American Society of Clinical Oncologists (ASCO) meeting for men with advanced prostate cancer. The answer is yes, at this meeting it was formally shown by a study that starting chemotherapy (docetaxel) along with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in some men newly diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) improved median overall survival by more than 13 months.

The PI, Christopher J. Sweeney, MBBS, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston noted, “This is one of the biggest improvements in survival we have seen in a trial involving patients with an adult metastatic solid tumor.”

In his study that 790 men were randomized to receive ADT alone (393 men) or ADT along with docetaxel chemotherapy (397 men). The men had a median age of 63 years. A planned interim analysis showed that the median overall survival (OS) was 44 months in the ADT-only arm compared with 57.6 months in the ADT plus docetaxel arm, a difference that translated into a significant 39% decreased risk of death.

In a subgroup analysis it was determined that this survival advantage was not experienced equally by all of the men in the combination arm of the trial. They found that the men with high-volume disease, the median OS in the ADT-only and combination arms was 32.2 months and 49.2 months, respectively, a 17-month difference that translated into a significant 40% decreased risk of death. In men with low-volume disease, median OS had not been reached at the time of the analysis, according to investigators.

Copy from earlier postings.

"   EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS:

In most published series, median PSA levels in the general male population range from approximately 0.4 to 0.7 ng/ml in men in their 40s and from approximately 0.7 to 1.0 ng/ml in men in their 50s. Evidence from both nonscreening and screening populations has demonstrated the predictive value of a single baseline PSA measurement for prostate cancer risk assessment. Specifically, men with baseline PSA levels above the age-group-specific median have a greater risk of prostate cancer diagnosis during the next 20-25 yr. Additional studies confirmed that higher baseline PSA levels at a young age are also associated with a greater risk of aggressive disease, metastasis, and disease-specific mortality many years later.

CONCLUSIONS:

Baseline PSA measurements at a young age are significant predictors of later prostate cancer diagnosis and disease-specific outcomes. Thus baseline PSA testing may be used for risk stratification and to guide screening protocols "

from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21862205

also read

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090429505011970

 If psa figures fall into the above ranges, then those at higher risk just need to test on a regular basis. If above these median figures then more attention to testing might be required. i.e. more often.