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High PSA numbers

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User
Posted 12 Oct 2023 at 14:47

Hello folks

I'm a newby. Just had first PSA test at age of 80 due peeing probs.

Everything I read about PSA talks of numbers in single digits but

my doc says mine is 79.9 - is this possible?

I could have misheard him but did not query it as I knew nothing about PSA then.

Any comments welcome. Thanks.

 

User
Posted 12 Oct 2023 at 18:02

Mine was 36 at diagnosis Marshman, and yes it’s very possible,  You’re now at the start of your ‘journey’,  welcome to the club that nobody wants to join. Still youve made a good first step by joining this forum. Hopefully further tests and scans will be favourable.

Stay strong and positive and it will help you get through this💪

Good Luck,

Derek

User
Posted 12 Oct 2023 at 18:24

I was PSA 58 at diagnosis. You can't tell a lot from this - some prostate cancer generates lots of PSA into the blood, while some other doesn't. Indeed sometimes, the most aggressive prostate cancers have so much cell mutation they lost their ability to generate PSA, and the PSA level is within or only just above the normal level.

User
Posted 05 Nov 2023 at 15:09

Until you have all the test results back, he can't say 100%, but if he has seen enough evidence he can probably guess that the results will show cancer, remember he has seen thousands of patients so his guess is probably right.

Any treatment you have is very likely to involve HT so you may as well be started on it now. In the unlikely event you do not have cancer, one session of HT is unlikely to do you any harm. When you have all the results then a more detailed treatment plan can be discussed. 

Dave

User
Posted 27 Nov 2023 at 20:56
It is unusual but a very enlarged prostate can produce PSA of 60, 80 or more.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 12 Oct 2023 at 16:23

psa levels can exceed 1,000 [or more] so 79.9 is quite possible.

Your scans and a biopsy will make it clearer where you'll go from here in terms of treatment.

Jules

User
Posted 13 Oct 2023 at 01:48

Mine was just under 30 at diagnosis, age 53. We have had someone on the forum with PSA 80 and no cancer and also someone with PSA 3 which would be considered within normal limits, but who had extensive cancer.

Nearly all 80 year olds have prostate cancer, and for most of them it will be so slow growing they will die of something else long before cancer gets them. You now need to listen to the medics and decide if you have a cancer which needs  treating or is better ignored.

Dave

User
Posted 05 Nov 2023 at 15:33
My Husband at 62years old, had a initial diagnosis and his PSA was 310.!
User
Posted 02 Dec 2023 at 07:09

The oncologist knows you have cancer from the results and his experience so far,  but does not know  how aggressive is the growth, the biopsy results, or it's progression, the body scan. 

Your psa is increased so it's a no brainer for the medic to prescribe HT instantly to try and slow the growth and maybe reduce the cancer.

Not until all the results are back will there be a more clear picture of the problem and the extent of treatment needed.

Advice is listen to the oncologist, with your family member present, discuss treatment options  these may vary due to aggressive nature of the problem, age, what's available locally etc. Do some research on the available options. Discuss these again with the oncologist, agree a treatment plan giving you the best outcome for your situation then you can do no more but put yourself in their hands as there is little choice but to get on with it. 

I found even though I was a wuss that there is a certain calm about having no further choice and hand myself over to them to get on with it. I laugh now to think I used to be scared of needles lol...

User
Posted 03 Dec 2023 at 15:57

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
So, next week I am having another, 'super' biopsy under general anaesthetic,

Sounds like a transperneal template biopsy, which is what I had after my first biopsy found nearly nothing.

I just looked back in my diary, and the whole thing was remarkably painless - I didn't need any of the painkillers they offered me. Bruising (painless) grew in to scrotum in a couple of days, but started clearing a couple of days after that and I did 35 mins on my exercise bike 4 days after the op.

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User
Posted 12 Oct 2023 at 16:23

psa levels can exceed 1,000 [or more] so 79.9 is quite possible.

Your scans and a biopsy will make it clearer where you'll go from here in terms of treatment.

Jules

User
Posted 12 Oct 2023 at 18:02

Mine was 36 at diagnosis Marshman, and yes it’s very possible,  You’re now at the start of your ‘journey’,  welcome to the club that nobody wants to join. Still youve made a good first step by joining this forum. Hopefully further tests and scans will be favourable.

Stay strong and positive and it will help you get through this💪

Good Luck,

Derek

User
Posted 12 Oct 2023 at 18:24

I was PSA 58 at diagnosis. You can't tell a lot from this - some prostate cancer generates lots of PSA into the blood, while some other doesn't. Indeed sometimes, the most aggressive prostate cancers have so much cell mutation they lost their ability to generate PSA, and the PSA level is within or only just above the normal level.

User
Posted 13 Oct 2023 at 01:48

Mine was just under 30 at diagnosis, age 53. We have had someone on the forum with PSA 80 and no cancer and also someone with PSA 3 which would be considered within normal limits, but who had extensive cancer.

Nearly all 80 year olds have prostate cancer, and for most of them it will be so slow growing they will die of something else long before cancer gets them. You now need to listen to the medics and decide if you have a cancer which needs  treating or is better ignored.

Dave

User
Posted 13 Oct 2023 at 13:16

Did they test for UTI? This is a possibility with a high PSA (difficult to know with it being your first one and nothing to compare it to). Are your peeing problems very recent?

Hope all works out well for you 👍

User
Posted 13 Oct 2023 at 13:40
Thanks Elaine, yes and put on anti-biotics as a precaution.

probs started a couple of years ago.

User
Posted 15 Oct 2023 at 00:09

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
Thanks Elaine, yes and put on anti-biotics as a precaution.
probs started a couple of years ago.

Fingers crossed the antibiotics will bring your PSA down 🤞🏼

Hope you get some good news soon, please keep us posted.

Take care 

Elaine

User
Posted 15 Oct 2023 at 11:06

Just commenting that urinary symptoms are usually due to enlarged prostate, which is very common as we age, and enlarged prostate is nothing to do with prostate cancer, although you can have both conditions. Prostate cancer usually has no symptoms, but is often diagnosed as a result of men getting symptoms for enlarged prostate investigated.

User
Posted 05 Nov 2023 at 14:16

Thank you everyone who commented on my earlier post, I now have a fuller story.
Early October started peeing blood, saw doc, he did PSA (79.8) and finger test.
Then in fairly quick succession I had -
Ultrasound scan.
Cystoscopy.
MRI scan.
Biopsies (about a dozen).
Bone scan
PSA gone up to 94.5

Urologist said he was 99pcnt certain that I had prostate cancer.
Just as a side show he also discovered a Hydrocele, hernia, bladder stone of 40mm, kidney stone of 9mm.

Have now been given Bicalutamide 50mg and to be followed by injection of Prostap 11.25mg

My question is: if the specialist is only 99pcnt sure that I have cancer then why have I been put on drugs to stop testosterone production? This is life changing isn’t it?
All of this stuff has happened over a period of about three weeks! (What happened to long waiting lists?) (Not complaining).
Any observations from any of you knowledgeable folks on here will be most welcome. Also if anyone is waiting for one of the procedures I have had and wants to know what it is like, just ask. 
Thanks 

 

User
Posted 05 Nov 2023 at 15:02
forgot to say. Have not had results of biopsies or bone scan yet.

User
Posted 05 Nov 2023 at 15:09

Until you have all the test results back, he can't say 100%, but if he has seen enough evidence he can probably guess that the results will show cancer, remember he has seen thousands of patients so his guess is probably right.

Any treatment you have is very likely to involve HT so you may as well be started on it now. In the unlikely event you do not have cancer, one session of HT is unlikely to do you any harm. When you have all the results then a more detailed treatment plan can be discussed. 

Dave

User
Posted 05 Nov 2023 at 15:33
My Husband at 62years old, had a initial diagnosis and his PSA was 310.!
User
Posted 27 Nov 2023 at 20:23

Can I ask, the gentleman who's PSA was 80, what else can make it rise to that level of it's not cancer? 

Thanks :)

 

User
Posted 27 Nov 2023 at 20:56
It is unusual but a very enlarged prostate can produce PSA of 60, 80 or more.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 27 Nov 2023 at 20:57

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

psa levels can exceed 1,000 [or more] so 79.9 is quite possible.

Your scans and a biopsy will make it clearer where you'll go from here in terms of treatment.

Jules

The highest reading we have seen on this forum was 13,000 but John's urologist says he once had a patient diagnosed with a PSA of 160,000!

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 02 Dec 2023 at 07:09

The oncologist knows you have cancer from the results and his experience so far,  but does not know  how aggressive is the growth, the biopsy results, or it's progression, the body scan. 

Your psa is increased so it's a no brainer for the medic to prescribe HT instantly to try and slow the growth and maybe reduce the cancer.

Not until all the results are back will there be a more clear picture of the problem and the extent of treatment needed.

Advice is listen to the oncologist, with your family member present, discuss treatment options  these may vary due to aggressive nature of the problem, age, what's available locally etc. Do some research on the available options. Discuss these again with the oncologist, agree a treatment plan giving you the best outcome for your situation then you can do no more but put yourself in their hands as there is little choice but to get on with it. 

I found even though I was a wuss that there is a certain calm about having no further choice and hand myself over to them to get on with it. I laugh now to think I used to be scared of needles lol...

User
Posted 02 Dec 2023 at 11:42

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member

John's urologist says he once had a patient diagnosed with a PSA of 160,000!

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
It is very unusual but but a very enlarged prostate can produce PSA of 60, 80 or more.

 

 

 If a normal prostate is the size of a walnut  I bet that poor bloke's was like a Coco de Mer.

Edited by member 02 Dec 2023 at 12:58  | Reason: Trying to double quote.

User
Posted 02 Dec 2023 at 12:04

Thanks for all the comments folks.

now have more info. The bone scan was clear but apparently I am a 'special

case'. The scans say I have cancer but the biopsies say that I do not!

So, next week I am having another, 'super' biopsy under general anaesthetic,

so I guess that will be a rough time (when I wake up).

 

User
Posted 03 Dec 2023 at 13:12

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
The scans say I have cancer but the biopsies say that I do not!

Our neighbour has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer following a critical admission through A&E and surgery to stabilise his crumbling spine. His PSA is normal and scans / biopsy showed no cancer at all in the prostate but his skeleton lit up like a christmas tree on the bone scan. So very rare but not impossible :-/  

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User
Posted 03 Dec 2023 at 15:57

Originally Posted by: Online Community Member
So, next week I am having another, 'super' biopsy under general anaesthetic,

Sounds like a transperneal template biopsy, which is what I had after my first biopsy found nearly nothing.

I just looked back in my diary, and the whole thing was remarkably painless - I didn't need any of the painkillers they offered me. Bruising (painless) grew in to scrotum in a couple of days, but started clearing a couple of days after that and I did 35 mins on my exercise bike 4 days after the op.

 
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