PSA

[Ronald]

I have to have surgery for a hernia that has gotten worse. Doctor did blood work. My PSA is 5.1, Free PDA is 0.9, PSA% is18L. He wants me to to seen urologist I'm 65. Thoughts on those numbers.

 

[tankasnowgod]

I don't know if the PSA numbers mean much of anything. It's a test that's apparently being used for far more things than it's useful for. I read this from the inventor of the PSA test long ago-

Opinion | The Great Prostate Mistake (Published 2010)

Americans waste an enormous amount of money on an inaccurate test for prostate cancer.

www.nytimes.com

Prostate cancer may get a lot of press, but consider the numbers: American men have a 16 percent lifetime chance of receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer, but only a 3 percent chance of dying from it. That’s because the majority of prostate cancers grow slowly. In other words, men lucky enough to reach old age are much more likely to die with prostate cancer than to die of it.

Even then, the test is hardly more effective than a coin toss. As I’ve been trying to make clear for many years now, P.S.A. testing can’t detect prostate cancer and, more important, it can’t distinguish between the two types of prostate cancer the one that will kill you and the one that won’t.

Instead, the test simply reveals how much of the prostate antigen a man has in his blood. Infections, over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen, and benign swelling of the prostate can all elevate a man’s P.S.A. levels, but none of these factors signals cancer. Men with low readings might still harbor dangerous cancers, while those with high readings might be completely healthy.

Prostate-specific antigen testing does have a place. After treatment for prostate cancer, for instance, a rapidly rising score indicates a return of the disease. And men with a family history of prostate cancer should probably get tested regularly. If their score starts skyrocketing, it could mean cancer.

But these uses are limited. Testing should absolutely not be deployed to screen the entire population of men over the age of 50, the outcome pushed by those who stand to profit.

I never dreamed that my discovery four decades ago would lead to such a profit-driven public health disaster. The medical community must confront reality and stop the inappropriate use of P.S.A. screening. Doing so would save billions of dollars and rescue millions of men from unnecessary, debilitating treatments.

Sounds like the value is in if the test number starts going up drastically. If you've been taking any sort of painkiller for the hernia, sounds like that might elevate PSA. Maybe inflammation and the hernia itself.

I also read this article, around the same time-

Why I Won't Get a PSA Test for Prostate Cancer

Physicians are still recommending the blood test for prostate cancer even though it harms far more men than it helps

blogs.scientificamerican.com

 

[Ronald]

I don't know if the PSA numbers mean much of anything. It's a test that's apparently being used for far more things than it's useful for. I read this from the inventor of the PSA test long ago-

Opinion | The Great Prostate Mistake (Published 2010)

Americans waste an enormous amount of money on an inaccurate test for prostate cancer.

www.nytimes.com

Sounds like the value is in if the test number starts going up drastically. If you've been taking any sort of painkiller for the hernia, sounds like that might elevate PSA. Maybe inflammation and the hernia itself.

I also read this article, around the same time-

Why I Won't Get a PSA Test for Prostate Cancer

Physicians are still recommending the blood test for prostate cancer even though it harms far more men than it helps

blogs.scientificamerican.com

Thanks for the info. Yeah I have been taking ibuprofen and kratom. My bowels have collaped into my scrotum and he said it might my affect testosterone.

 

[CLASH]

@Ronald
I would highly advise against the use of Mesh in your hernia repair. Lots of complications and issues.