Family history

Hi Tim, the question of whether or not your dad had prostate cancer is not as significant as you think. The increased risk as a result of inter-familial link relates to young onset of PCa not just any onset and as your dad was in his 60s at the time, early onset doesn't seem likely. What is much more significant is that your brother was diagnosed in his 50s - this should be enough of a prompt for you to ask your GP for a PSA test now you have reached 40. This will give you a good baseline for future years and help you to monitor any rise as you get older.

As it happens, laser treatment in the 80s / 90s tended to be only for benign problems so if your dad was diagnosed with PCa it may have been after the laser treatment rather than before.

What does dad's death certificate say? If they believed the gall bladder & bowel cancer were PCa secondaries this wi=ould have been stated on the certificate as adenacarcinoma or whichever prostate cancer he was thought to have. If they removed his gall bladder then they would have known whether it was PCa mets.

Just as an afterthought, if you decide that you do want a PSA test now, and understand that should any problems be detected there are implications for you in terms of whether to have treatment, when and which, the GP doesn't have any right to say no. We do have members on here that have been diagnosed in their 40s, sadly some already with bone mets, so it can happen. Your GP may also be able to access dad's medical records.

T

My estranged father died of metastatic prostate cancer and diabetes, something I did not find out until after his death and my diagnosis, He was 81 when he passed away.  We were not close and only met up a few times. We did occasionally speak on the phone but he only ever complained about severe back pain. I went to his funeral but my half brothers and step family never mentioned that he had prostate cancer.

Once I had been diagnosed I spoke to my elder brother (64) and my half brothers (40 & 42)and alerted them to the potential risk involved. My elder brother’s GP carried out the relevant tests and his tests came back okay. My younger brothers GP said they were too young and refused to carry out any tests. I did point out the increased risk to my half brothers but they felt more inclined to take the advice of their GP.

Having seen the amount of younger guys on here with PCa do not let any GP fob you off. Once you have had the test make sure you get the result and do not accept “it was fine” from the surgery ,get the numbers, even if it is okay it will serve as a bench mark for future use.

Thanks Chris

I hesitate to give out too much advice because this an area for the professionals but my own situation is not unlike yours even though I am much older. My Dad died of Prostate Cancer in 1971 aged 57. My older brother was diagnosed at age 70 although it was contained within the prostate and has, touch wood, been very successfully treated. This put me on high alert despite not having any symptoms to speak of - that's the trouble with this disease - it is often asymptomatic.

I had a PSA done in 2011 which was within normal limits for my age. Schoolboy error here - I didn't ask for or take a note of the reading. Make sure you take note of any reading. In 2015 - still with no symptoms - had another PSA test based on family history and it was 7.2 - later investigations showed I had prostate cancer albeit contained within the capsule and intermediate risk.

Research I've done on my own risk of Pca put it at 50% with one first degree relative (father) having died early from the disease and another first degree relative having contracted it albeit much later.

I would get tested and look to get tested regularly - the rate of increase in PSA can be significant as well as the headline number.

All the best but stay vigilant. The earlier any problem is detected the better.

It shouldn't make any difference - quote the Prostate Scotland website which identifies you as at high risk and states that PSA screening can be started at age 40.

My husband was diagnosed at age 50 and we were told that our son should be screened from age 40 onwards. Many others here have been told the same or similar - if your GP refuses, you could ask for his/her rationale in writing (which tends to make them nervous) or seek an appointment with another doctor in the practice but s/he may surprise you by readily agreeing :-)

NHS England guidelines say PSA tests should be available to men who want one from age 50, unless they fall into the higher risk categories or have symptoms in which case it can be done earlier. The problem isn't the guidelines ... it is the GPs' interpretations of these.