Q: I think i have a stomach virus and i am scheduled for a blood test tomorrow morning (fasting lipid panel, cmp w/egfr, cpk, psa). should i postpone?

it should not make a difference in those tests,Some viral inf can decrease WBC (white cells) count

Q: How is prostte cancer detected? reglar blood test work? or it only shows when psa test is done? been doing blod work in past showed nothin untl psa

You profile says you are a woman. In any case, elevated PSA is usually an indication to look for prostate cancer. The diagnosis is usually made by taking biopsies through the rectum. Multiple needle cores are extracted and submitted to a pathologist for the diagnosis.

Q: What are the common effects of wound infection on psa blood test?

A wound infection should not affect psa levels significantly.

Q: Will masterbating before1st psa, 3 months after post prostate surgery salvage radiation, throw off test results? appt.for blood test w/in 24hrs thanx

No. There is no issue with psa in this situation.

Q: Senior age male. took blood test.. psa, total was 4.137 which is a bit out of range and it shows that the reference range is 0.000-4.000.glucose179.hba1c6.8.mchc32.3.mpv12.4. he is active physically &sexually. please advice. has flomax tamsulosin?

All laboratory results need to be interpreted in the clinical context and the doctor who ordered the tests is usually in the best position to do that. Talk to the doctor who ordered the tests. Having said that, his elevated glucose and A1c suggest diabetes and are a greater concern than PSA. Wish you good health!

Q: I had a blood test that showed a psa of 10. after a 30 day regimen of antibiotics i have a psa of 8.1 and a free psa of 10.9. i am 54 years old and present with other symptoms such as urinary problems. what is the next step for me?

Psa is a controversial screening test for prostate cancer. However, if you have trouble urinating, it is part of the standard evaluation. Your psa is persistently elevated for a guy your age. Your next step should be consultation with a urologist who can discuss in detail the risks and benefits of proceeding with a prostate biopsy.

Q: Very good afternoon. when should free-psa be included and checked along with psa as part of a blood test in order to screen for prostate cancer?

No, we often order only PSA for screening.

Q: Psa went from 100 to 8 after orchiectomy. some pain while urine flow doc gave some medicine, asked blood test after 15 days. what depends on test worry?

He wants to follow your psa. It should be lower than 8 unless cancer has spread. It may continue to go down now that your body has stopped producing testosterone almost completely.

Question 1

Does psa blood test need fasting?

Accepted Answer

tests fasting=not needed & commonly misleading, though promoted. Optimal PSA value <1.0 ng/dL, though called normal up to 4.0 ng/mL. At 1.3 ng/ml (Avodart Trial; most thorough done to date) prostate size, by ultrasound, has doubled young healthy values. If PSA <1.0, prostate cancer extremely rare. If elevated, consider https://www.accureference.com "Prostate Health Index" test for better guidance.

Question 2

I think i have a stomach virus and i am scheduled for a blood test tomorrow morning (fasting lipid panel, cmp w/egfr, cpk, psa). should i postpone?

Accepted Answer

it should not make a difference in those tests,Some viral inf can decrease WBC (white cells) count

Question 3

How is prostte cancer detected?  reglar blood test work?  or it only shows when psa test is done? been doing blod work in past  showed nothin untl psa

Accepted Answer

You profile says you are a woman. In any case, elevated PSA is usually an indication to look for prostate cancer. The diagnosis is usually made by taking biopsies through the rectum. Multiple needle cores are extracted and submitted to a pathologist for the diagnosis.

Question 4

What are the common effects of wound infection on psa blood test?

Accepted Answer

A wound infection should not affect psa levels significantly.

Question 5

Does a routine psa blood test also tell you your platelet count? i just want to know if the low platelet count also shows up on a psa blood test

Accepted Answer

The two tests are totally unrelated.  Well, most of the time they are, but it gets a little complicated, as you'll see....

A psa (prostate-specific antigen) test measures the amount of a protein that only prostate cells make.  When the cells in the prostate are dividing rapidly (like in cancer, ) when they are releasing this protein because they are inflamed (as one sees in an infection of the prostate, ) or if there are more prostate cells then typical (seen in enlarged, but not cancerous, prostates, ) this protein is elevated in the blood.

This is why the psa is used as a screening tool for prostate cancer.  But as you can see, the psa can be elevated in a variety of other, non-cancer, situations.  This is the reason for the recent controversy over whether it makes sense to use the psa as a routine screening tool for men over 40.

Platelets are small blood cells (not really cells - let's call them celletes) that are the key factor in blood clotting.  Making blood clots takes a mind-boggling number of different chemicals, cells and coordination.  It's truly one of the more spectacular things the human body can do.  I'm sure that other people would cite calculus and synchronized swimming, but from a biochemical perspective, blood clotting (or hemostatsis) has them both beat handily.  Platelets, are the foundation for blood clotting.  Platelets can be elevated or decreased for a ton of different reasons.  Infections typically make platelet counts go up, but they can make them drop as well, depending on the type of infection.  Auto-immune disease typically makes platelet counts drop.  Cancers are more like infections and can have either effect.

An abnormally high or low platelet count is a very non-specific finding, and is seen in healthy people all the time, but sometimes it can be an indication of a more serious problem.

I am curious as to why you are associating the two tests.  Infections or cancers of the prostate could sometimes influence platelet counts, but the two tests are really not associated at all.

If your doctor told you something about an abnormal psa or platelet count, and you don't understand it's significance, go back and don't leave until you understand what's going on.  And if he or she can't answer your questions in language that you understand, find another doctor.  It should not be your responsibility to ensure that you understand everything medical.  That's a doctor's role.  Not only to explain things, but ensure that things are understood.  Otherwise, it's impossible for patients to make informed choices about and play an active role in their healthcare.

If you have any concerns about either test, please be sure to follow-up with a doctor who can explain things fully.  The only dumb question is the one you don't ask!

Question 6

Will masterbating before1st psa, 3 months after post prostate surgery salvage radiation, throw off test results? appt.for blood test w/in 24hrs thanx

Accepted Answer

No. There is no issue with psa in this situation.

Question 7

Senior age male. took blood test.. psa, total was 4.137 which is a bit out of range and it shows that the reference range is 0.000-4.000.glucose179.hba1c6.8.mchc32.3.mpv12.4. he is active physically &sexually. please advice. has flomax tamsulosin?

Accepted Answer

All laboratory results need to be interpreted in the clinical context and the doctor who ordered the tests is usually in the best position to do that. Talk to the doctor who ordered the tests. Having said that, his elevated glucose and A1c suggest diabetes and are a greater concern than PSA.    
Wish you good health!

Question 8

I had a blood test that showed a psa of 10. after a 30 day regimen of antibiotics i have a psa of 8.1 and a free psa of 10.9. i am 54 years old and present with other symptoms such as urinary problems. what is the next step for me?

Accepted Answer

Psa is a controversial screening test for prostate cancer.  However, if you have trouble urinating, it is part of the standard evaluation.  Your psa is persistently elevated for a guy your age.  Your next step should be consultation with a urologist who can discuss in detail the risks and benefits of proceeding with a prostate biopsy.

Question 9

Very good afternoon. when should free-psa be included and checked along with psa as part of a blood test in order to screen for prostate cancer?

Accepted Answer

No, we often order only PSA for screening.

Question 10

Psa went from 100 to 8 after orchiectomy. some pain while urine flow doc gave some medicine, asked blood test after 15 days. what depends on test worry?

Accepted Answer

He wants to follow your psa. It should be lower than 8 unless cancer has spread.  It may continue to go down now that your body has stopped producing testosterone almost completely.

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Psa blood test fasting

Does psa blood test need fasting?

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I think i have a stomach virus and i am scheduled for a blood test tomorrow morning (fasting lipid panel, cmp w/egfr, cpk, psa). should i postpone?

How is prostte cancer detected? reglar blood test work? or it only shows when psa test is done? been doing blod work in past showed nothin untl psa

What are the common effects of wound infection on psa blood test?

Does a routine psa blood test also tell you your platelet count? i just want to know if the low platelet count also shows up on a psa blood test

Will masterbating before1st psa, 3 months after post prostate surgery salvage radiation, throw off test results? appt.for blood test w/in 24hrs thanx

Senior age male. took blood test.. psa, total was 4.137 which is a bit out of range and it shows that the reference range is 0.000-4.000.glucose179.hba1c6.8.mchc32.3.mpv12.4. he is active physically &sexually. please advice. has flomax tamsulosin?

I had a blood test that showed a psa of 10. after a 30 day regimen of antibiotics i have a psa of 8.1 and a free psa of 10.9. i am 54 years old and present with other symptoms such as urinary problems. what is the next step for me?

Very good afternoon. when should free-psa be included and checked along with psa as part of a blood test in order to screen for prostate cancer?

Psa went from 100 to 8 after orchiectomy. some pain while urine flow doc gave some medicine, asked blood test after 15 days. what depends on test worry?

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