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PSA measure. I'm confused

User
Posted 18 Jul 2026 at 16:35

I am confused.

My pSA is 8...but i have a diagnosed aggressive cancer. Gleeson 9 Cambridge 5. T3

How is that possible with a PSA of 8...?

I see numbers here in their hundreds. And I also see measurements of 0.2 and 0.5 etc

Can PSA 8 be read in a different way...? 

I really don't understand.  Please enlighten me if you know. Many thanks.

I have a tough jouahead...

User
Posted 18 Jul 2026 at 20:35

A PSA of 8 sounds plausible. There is a huge range possible at diagnosis. 

Best of luck for the remaining tests. Hopefully treatment will see the PSA heading towards zero soon. Try to stay positive during this uncertain period waiting for tests and results.

User
Posted 18 Jul 2026 at 20:36
Hi Linkbekka,

I am so sad to read of your news and so hope that the following will help you to understand. I am not a medically trained person and hopefully others will correct anything I may have muddled below.

PSA values are a guide and not a clear determinator. My original PSA scores were 9.8 and 8 taken one month apart. My outcome was Gleason 4+4 after I had the prostate removed. Even though my prostate no longer exits my current PSA level is 0.21 and this is either because a small bit of the prostate was left behind and is generating PSA or I have spread and a new tumour is growing somewhere in my body.

It is true that a person can have a PSA of greater than 10 and not have prostate cancer; it is also possible to have a PSA of lower than 10 and have prostate cancer. This is why the country still doesn't have a PSA test mandatory for all men, as many would be alarmed and flood the system for MRI scans, and biopsy's before being told they don't have cancer.

In short the numbers larger than 1 are generally men with a prostate still in their bodies. The numbers below 1 are for guys after they had their prostate removed or after their treatment with hormones and radiotherapy/chemo. Sadly even after the operation to remove a prostate, guys have to worry about their PSA levels. A level of 0.02 is very good and the alarm bells start ringing at 0.2. They ring even louder if the doubling from PSA to PSA test is in terms of months. In my case after the operation my PSA was 0.02 and has increased to 0.21 in 2 years. From this I am likely to have a fairly aggressive tumour, but so far no scan has been able to find the potential new tumour.

I hope that helped and I wish you all the best with whatever future treatment you are about to undertake.

User
Posted 18 Jul 2026 at 20:45

Aggressiveness is related to a high Gleason not to a single psa reading.  Gleason is a measure of how distorted your lesion cells are which is different from psa. 

Although high Gleason often gives off more psa for a given size of lesion.

There is a relationship to psa if your psa is rising fast say doubling in 3 months.  One psa reading doesn't guarantee anything it needs a trend.

 

 
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