Question 1

baseline psa for several years was 0.6. started proscar in 2018 for bph with pvr. psa went to 0.4 in feb 2020, spiked to 2.0 in july 2020, went down to 0.3 in nov 2020 and 0.3 in june 2021. now it's 2.66. how concerning is this pattern?

Accepted Answer

: Make appointment with a urologist

Question 2

does finasteride (1mg daily) skew psa results when testing for prostate cancer? given family history of prostate cancer (father had it), i want to be sure taking finasteride wont make it more difficult to test for and detect prostate cancer?

Accepted Answer

: Your testing for prostate cancer will/ should start around age 35yrs,  1 mg of Finasteride should not change the PSA significantly. If you are prescribed it pl let the doc know your family history

Question 3

enlarged prostate. psa 11.9 ng/ml.doctor advised for prostate biopsy. can i take finasteride 5 mg tablets to shrink my prostate gland before  biopsy ?

Accepted Answer

No point: Prostate biopsy is 2c if u have prostate cancer or not. Finesteride is used for benign symptomatic prostatic enlargement. May well be an option if prostate biopsy is negative.

Question 4

recurrent prostate cancer after rrp and radiation i remained with a psa of .2 for about 8 years.  this spring it rose to .3.  my urologist prescribed finastaride and that has lowered the psa to .01 within 2 months. he has said we would get concerned when

Accepted Answer

I : I am sorry to hear that your psa is rising.  The psa should generally be undetectable after a rrp, if there is still some psa found in the blood it means that either there is some residual cancer or a bit of your prostate was left inside.

The fact that the psa has remained relatively low and seems to be rising slowly are very good signs that if any cancer is left it is a very slow growing one.  However, if there are cancer cells left Finasteride and other hormone therapy cannot cure the disease; it could only hold it in check for some time.  On the other hand, radiation therapy has the potential to cure the disease and get rid of it for good with minimal side effects.  This is called "salvage" radiation therapy and is a widely used treatment for a rising psa after surgery.  The radiation is directed only at the "bed" where your prostate used to be, so it works best when there are cells only in this area. It would not be effective if the cancer has already spread to other parts of your body.

In order to determine the chance that radiation would be effective you should see a radiation oncologist. He or she should be able to give you an accurate estimate of whether there are cancer cells left in the bed where your prostate used to be and an idea of what the cure rate after radiation would be.  He or she will need to know information about your cancer before and after the surgery such as the psa, the gleason score, the stage, and the margin status to give you the most accurate information.   It is always best to start salvage radiation when the psa is low, preferably below 0.6 ng/ml.

Question 5

what would constitute a normal psa level?

Accepted Answer

Between 0-4: A normal psa level is between 0 and 4. Howevere, there is an age-adjusted psa level that is different depending on your age. The older a patient is, the higher the psa can become without being too alarming.

Question 6

i have taken blood sample psa level is 7. when i pass urine i am having buring sensation some time kindky advice me psa level is normal?

Accepted Answer

Not normal: Normal psa is under 4. That's doesn't meant the burning is related to it though. It could be totally unrelated. Go see your doctor and get it checked out.

Question 7

psa levels normal at 0.49?

Accepted Answer

Should be Normal: If the man in question has not had prostate cancer previously, a psa in this range is normal.
However, it is equally important that he undergo a rectal examination of the prostate yearly.  A normal psa is not a guarantee of prostate cancer free status.

Question 8

19 months after brachitherapy the psa valeu, is 5.38 ng/ml. is it normal?

Accepted Answer

It depends: It depends on what your pre-treatment psa was, but &gt;5 seems a bit high.  It can take 2 years to reach the bottom level of psa after radiation, but it still seems high to me.  Talk with your radiation oncologist and urologist.

Question 9

blood in seaman had a psa test, normal

Accepted Answer

You : You could be dealing with prostatitis or another type of infection (std, uti-urinary tract infection). Have you had other testing done besides a psa level? If not you need to follow up with your doctor to further investigate the blood in your semen.
Take care.

Question 10

does normal psa test result mean that prostate is normal and not enlarged?

Accepted Answer

More or less: Hardly any lab tests are absolute, however, a normal PSA suggests that your symptoms are not due to enlarged prostate.

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Doctor answers about:

What would be normal PSA if taking finasteride

A member asked:

Baseline psa for several years was 0.6. started proscar in 2018 for bph with pvr. psa went to 0.4 in feb 2020, spiked to 2.0 in july 2020, went down to 0.3 in nov 2020 and 0.3 in june 2021. now it's 2.66. how concerning is this pattern?

A member asked:

Does finasteride (1mg daily) skew psa results when testing for prostate cancer? given family history of prostate cancer (father had it), i want to be sure taking finasteride wont make it more difficult to test for and detect prostate cancer?

A member asked:

Enlarged prostate. psa 11.9 ng/ml.doctor advised for prostate biopsy. can i take finasteride 5 mg tablets to shrink my prostate gland before biopsy ?

A member asked:

Recurrent prostate cancer after rrp and radiation i remained with a psa of .2 for about 8 years. this spring it rose to .3. my urologist prescribed finastaride and that has lowered the psa to .01 within 2 months. he has said we would get concerned when

A member asked:

What would constitute a normal psa level?

A member asked:

I have taken blood sample psa level is 7. when i pass urine i am having buring sensation some time kindky advice me psa level is normal?

A member asked:

Psa levels normal at 0.49?

A member asked:

19 months after brachitherapy the psa valeu, is 5.38 ng/ml. is it normal?

A member asked:

Blood in seaman had a psa test, normal

A member asked:

Does normal psa test result mean that prostate is normal and not enlarged?

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