Psa300

Yes the poor bugger. Doc reckons nottoo swollen but can feel hard area to it 

I concur with tonyc. Best practice is an mpMRI scan FIRST, and then a biopsy. If at all possible avoid a TRUS biopsy (again up the bum) and elect for the far more accurate template biopsy (usually under general anaesthetic).

And again, best of luck.

Cheers, John.

Biggest Leap Forward in Diagnosis for Decades

Is pre-biopsy mpMRI scanning available in my area?

Edited by member 22 Sep 2018 at 11:33  | Reason: Not specified

If there is no mpMRI facility in their area, then they are in the hands of their medical professionals as to the way forward.

Which is exactly why I took the trouble to look up and post the hyper-links to the PC UK PROMIS results and to the American survey which states that an mpMRI scan can make a biopsy unnecessary.

Not at all ‘poor advice’ for Reenmatch and her husband.

Cheers, John.

Edited by member 22 Sep 2018 at 15:57  | Reason: Not specified

My point was that mpMRI can work in two ways to avoid unnecessary biopsy. One, if nothing shows up, you are probably in the clear. Two, if a tumour is present together with a high PSA then PCa is very likely and again no biopsy required, bring on the HT for a start.

Cheers, John.

“.........the TRUS biopsy is as bad as we thought it was......there is no way I would have a biopsy before an MRI.......” - Dr Chris Parker of the Royal Marsden Hospital and Chairman, the National Cancer Research Institute Prostate Clinical Studies Group.

Please read through everything nevertheless, as no-one is lying to you, but as ever, people have differing opinions. Please bear in mind we are all laymen here, and your best bet is to listen to what your clinicians tell you, but also have an idea what they are on about, from this forum.

One thing I would strongly advise would be to speak to one of the PCUK nurses here.  They are so well informed and offer impartial clinical advice as well as being wonderfully understanding and supportive.   They will take as much time as you need and will try to answer  any questions you come up with no matter how daft.  They are also not tied to any particular treatment option so their advice is completely impartial.  The nurses I have spoken to at my hospital are less able to be as open, because as they explained to me, they work eith s consultant who does one kind of therapy.  So they openly admit they may be biased. The PCUK nurses do not have those ties

i spoke to them, they are angels who helped me sort out the jumble of thoughts crashing about in my head and made my decision making so easy

Wish you all the best

Geoff x

Check out my profile and posts and you will see what the NHS can achieve, with gentle prompting and a little awareness of what’s what on your part.

Why be embarrassed about it? My friend was but he is still going strong at 82, thirteen years later. He’s not “ashamed” any more! He’s proud to be a survivor.

Anyway, your daughter might have done his mates a big favour in encouraging them to get their own PSA tested.

Cheers, John.

Too much in shock

Rather than press around

Would it not be best to ask for radical removal of Prostate and be done with it !

Rather have bloody stupid biopsies and waste valuable time ?

Pathology are short staffed and can take three weeks for results

Prostate cancers are usually slow-growing, so don’t be too alarmed at the time scale for diagnosis. I went seven months from raised PSA to surgery, largely due to me getting second opinions and weighing up all my options. I am sure he is in good hands.

Best of luck.

Cheers, John.

Hi Reenkamp, confusing isn't it! But only if you delve too deeply. 

The NHS has a protocol which they follow, they've handled tens of thousands of PC cases, so they know far far far more than me. 

I followed their guidance, which was

Do another PSA in 3 months

Mri scan

Biopsy, a template one because it showed a potential lesion at the back of the prostate, and going up the bum couldn't reach it. 

Yes it had cancer cells

Told me all options were open to me, watch and wait, RT, or surgery. I chose RT after hormones. 

6 months on, I'm mended!!!! 😀

My advice is to have trust, don't try to second guess everything, just take each step as it comes. 

When we are first told we MIGHT have cancer, we all want to rush and get rid of it. I remember urging my consultant to get a move on, he said we have a protocol which works, so why rush, when you've already had this problem for years  It doesn't work like that. 

It's a long pathway, because you'll probably be put on hormones for three months before any treatment starts. Knee jerk decisions, such as wanting surgery have consequences, which you need to understand. 

Don't worry, we are involved in the decision making, but only when it's appropriate. 

Don't panic, all will become clear, but only when you work through each stage. 

Good luck, be patiient, my treatment from start to end was about 15 months, but it worked. 

I don’t think so. Even if you had a template biopsy privately at around £1500 it still takes 2-3 weeks for the results.

Deleted

Edited by member 30 Dec 2018 at 17:56  | Reason: Not specified