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PSA 18.6

User
Posted 22 Aug 2025 at 16:57

Hi all I’ve been told I have a PSA of 18.6. Seeing the doctor next week. I’m panicking. Any similar experience from others?

User
Posted 22 Aug 2025 at 19:00

Hi Kevin. It's perfectly natural that you are concerned but this doesn't necessarily mean you have prostate cancer. The doctor may well do a DRE check. That's the finger up the bum to check whether prostate is enlarged. Not very dignified but really nothing to it. It's over in seconds. Next stage would usually be an MRI scan. Try not to panic, so many reasons other than cancer why your PSA is high. 

User
Posted 22 Aug 2025 at 19:01

Yes, that's pretty much how everyone's journey starts. Don't panic too much, we have had PSAs higher than that, but no cancer found. Even if cancer is found the next question is "is it clinically significant?", and if so "is it curable?"

Until you have more test results, i.e. MRI and biopsy, it is impossible to answer those questions.

If you are desperate for someone to predict the future for you, then you could get a Tarot reading it is about as much use as the prediction I am about to give you.

Based on the only thing I know about you which is PSA 18.6, if 100 people were to go into a doctor's surgery with that test result, in ten years time 10 of them would be dead. However only 1 of those 10 would have died from prostate cancer. 

Let's put it another way, based on that one test result, you should be more worried about crossing the road than prostate cancer. As you get more test results that will change, but I still recommend you look both ways before crossing the road.

Dave

User
Posted 22 Aug 2025 at 19:03
Thanks Davey. Appreciate your response.
User
Posted 22 Aug 2025 at 19:09

Thanks Dave! I’ll definitely look both ways from now on!

 
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