In my nonstop research of all things prostate cancer, I came across this blurb that really helps to put some things in perspective and I am posting this for the men with prostate cancer (and their wives) who read this blog:
Mr. X was diagnosed in 2008 with a PSA of 7,000 ng/ml - YES, SEVEN THOUSAND - with a diagnosis of Stage 4, a diagnosis that would have most people predicting a survival that might be measured in weeks or months rather than years. A year later, he commented that his PSA was now down to 240 ng/ml and he was feeling OK.
His comment just demonstrates how men react in so many ways to such a wide variety of PSA levels. While Mr. X was OK with his 240 PSA and another guy is happy with his PSA of 6.4 because it was down from 15, there were men concerned about a PSA of 4.2 because it had 'gone up' from 3.9, and other men considering salvage therapy in the light of a perceived increase in an ultrasensitve PSA.
So there are differing levels of PSA which might be considered appropriate in differing circumstances. The man who has had surgery will have different concern levels from the man who has had radiation or the man on hormone therapy. But.....how often are PSA movements predictive of a fatal outcome, even in the long run?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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