Elevated prostate level of 23. Last yr, was 4. Does anyone know how bad this may be?

[SammyWinstonJack]

My husband is 65, has COPD bronchitis and emphysema. Now this. He has an appt with a urologist on the 16th. Just kinda freaking out here.

[irisblue]

1. May 16? June 16? PSA levels vary by race. Thx

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. May 16th.

[unc70]

3. Serious. Glad he already has an appointment

That high a PSA is certainly a serious concern, but try not to panic. I know how hard that is to do. We all panic. I nearly passed out.

While there are other things that can elevate PSA levels, a jump from 4 to 25 probably indicates cancer. I had mine jump from 4 to 16 and it was stage 3. That was almost 9 years ago. I was lucky. Although the cancer was starting to grow out of the prostate, my surgeon at Duke was able to get clear margins and I avoided chemo and radiation.

Every situation is different. See what the biopsy finds. Then see what treatment options to pursue. Contact me here or by DU mail and I will try to help.

[SammyWinstonJack]

4. Thank you.

[SammyWinstonJack]

6. I'm glad you had good results. Sorry I didn't say that in my first reply.

[unc70]

7. No problem. You have a lot on your mind

And good luck to you and yours.

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. Thank you.

[stopbush]

5. A few things:

1. PSA tests aren't infallible. They aren't the be all and end all. They can be an indicator.

2. Labs aren't infallible. Last year, I had a PSA come back at 286. That's right, two hundred eighty six. My previous test had been in the twos. My doctors freaked out and scheduled me for a urologist emergency consult. I asked that they redo the test. They redid the test, twice. Both times it came back at 2.6. You may want them to redo the test. Decimal points are funny that way.

3. You still need to treat it seriously. But before getting into expensive and intrusive procedures, I would redo the test to be sure of that number.

[Marthe48]

8. My husband had PSa over 6

and was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012. His urologist recommended just watching it. So John saw him at first 4 times a year, and when his PSA seemed stable, 2 times a year. John's urologist said that prostate is very slow-growing and John would likely die from other causes. John had had prostate symptoms for many years and tried several medications to control them.
I hope they do another PSA test to make sure that reading is accurate. Prayers for you and your husband.

[SammyWinstonJack]

10. Thank you so much for your reply. Just very anxious here.

[Marthe48]

11. I know - hard to wait and not know

John's PSA was up and down for a long time, so we had time to come to terms with the news. When John got his diagnosis, it was hard to accept they wouldn't remove his cancer. But that was John's choice as well as the dr. He didn't want to have surgery or other treatments if he didn't have to. I think we both got used to it.

[SammyWinstonJack]

12. I'm trying to stay positive for him. We are full time RVers, on the road and don't really have a

a place to settle for treatment. This will be a challenge.

[Marthe48]

13. When you see the urologist, maybe he can help you decide

If your husband has cancer, there are different treatments, different schedules for treatments. It seems like being in an RV would give you some freedom on choosing what place to go to.

[struggle4progress]

14. Take it seriously but don't freak out: it really could be all kinds of things.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

15. Message deleted by DU the Administrators

[VOX]

16. 1) It is NOT a death sentence! 2) But it is serious...

and he'll need the best treatment that works for him.

I was treated for prostate cancer 16 years ago at UCLA (I was 51 at the time). I had the seed implants (brachytherapy) alone because my PSA was still just under 10.

Things have improved since I was treated, so I'm not sure what options are out there now. Many centers do robotic prostatectomies now. If the "old rules" still apply, your husband might need a two-step treatment, say, surgery and external beam radiation. The key is to make sure the cancer hasn't extruded past the "capsule." But even if it has, they have hormone blockades and other tools now.

Just don't panic over this. It's uncomfortable, and a hassle, but it's all do-able. Hang in there!