Prostate Cancer

Author: **Naam Jai** » January 10, 2008, 10:23 pm

Prostate cancer KILLS one man every hour in the UK. It is the 2nd most common cause of death from cancer in the UK and prevelance is rising.

Enlarged Prostate
If you have irritative or obstructive systems get a PSA test done.
Symptoms include difficulty in passing urine,frequency,leaking at night.

Check its not a urinary tract infection though.

A PR can identify an enlarged prostate, a hard nodule, but sometines the cancer is symptomless, hence the PSA test

Treatment is a radical prostatectomy.

But better that than hoping the problem will go away and you end up with an acute situation of not being able to pass urine.

Would anyone who has had any investigations, symptoms,or worries, like to share them with us and about the experience and whether it was here in Udon or in Bangkok?

Author: **nevket240** » January 10, 2008, 11:05 pm

We had a talk on this disease last year by our company doctor. SHE explained that female doc's are not as good as men at doing the digit test as their fingers are too short. :yikes:

cheers.. (& tears.) :guiness:

Author: **Ricky** » January 10, 2008, 11:26 pm

Nevket240 wrote:We had a talk on this disease last year by our company doctor. SHE explained that female doc's are not as good as men at doing the digit test as their fingers are too short. Yikes

Nevket, I think you've put your finger right on it there. - It's that digital technology again. The but of many jokes. :lol:

Author: **fremmel** » January 11, 2008, 9:35 am

Early prostate cancer doesn't generally have any symptoms. And a DRE (digital rectal exam) doesn't always show it either. Mine was found from mildly high PSA only. It stayed high for a few months and that prompted the doctor to want to do a biopsy. If you catch it early it can be treated with radiation instead of by radical prostatectomy and probably get fewer side effects. I was living in Pattaya when mine was diagnosed. I checked treatment options with local and Bangkok hospitals and searched the internet. I ended up going to Singapore for radiation but they may have the newer equipment in Bangkok now. My treatment was very successful and I came out of it with no side effects.

Sorry, but I have no idea what kind of treatment is available in Udon. AEK Udon can check your PSA, and probably most of the other hospitals as well. There's a lab almost next door to the Thai-French butcher shop on Srisuk Rd just down from the traffic circle that can check it too. They charged 500 baht 6 months ago and the numbers agreed with what I had done at AEK Udon last month.

Just a reminder - at the age of a lot of us you really need to get your PSA checked every year. If you catch it early you can cure prostate cancer with a very good chance of no side effects. But the key is to catch it early.

Author: **jackspratt** » January 11, 2008, 10:20 am

fremmel wrote:There's a lab almost next door to the Thai-French butcher shop on Srisuk Rd just down from the traffic circle that can check it too. They charged 500 baht 6 months ago and the numbers agreed with what I had done at AEK Udon last month.

Fremmel can you just walk in off the street for this place, or do they require some form of referral?

Author: **fremmel** » January 11, 2008, 7:18 pm

Just walk in off the street. They usually have the results back in 3 or 4 hours. I haven't had anything else done there but I would think they can do most of the normal blood work.

Author: **jackspratt** » January 11, 2008, 7:25 pm

Khop kun khap! (? sp)

Author: **aznyron** » January 11, 2008, 9:54 pm

what exactly is a PSA test ?

Author: **polehawk** » January 11, 2008, 10:05 pm

http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/guide/psa

Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Blood Test
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a substance produced by the prostate gland. Elevated PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer or a noncancerous condition such as prostatitis or an enlarged prostate.

Most men have PSA levels under four (ng/mL) and this has traditionally been used as the cutoff for concern about risk of prostate cancer. Men with prostate cancer often have PSA levels higher than four, although cancer is a possibility at any PSA level. According to published reports, men who have a prostate gland that feels normal on examination and a PSA less than four have a 15% chance of having prostate cancer. Those with a PSA between four and 10 have a 25% chance of having prostate cancer and if the PSA is higher than 10, the risk increases to 67%.

In the past, most experts viewed PSA levels less than 4 ng/mL as normal. Due to the findings from more recent studies, some recommend lowering the cutoff levels that determine if a PSA value is normal or elevated. Some researchers encourage using less than 2.5 or 3 ng/mL as a cutoff for normal values, particularly in younger patients. Younger patients tend to have smaller prostates and lower PSA values, so any elevation of the PSA in younger men above 2.5 ng/mL is a cause for concern.

Just as important as the PSA number is the trend of that number (whether it is going up, how quickly, and over what period of time). It is important to understand that the PSA test is not perfect. Most men with elevated PSA levels have noncancerous prostate enlargement, which is a normal part of aging. Conversely, low levels of PSA in the bloodstream do not rule out the possibility of prostate cancer. However, most cases of early prostate cancer are found by a PSA blood test.

How Is The PSA Screening Test Done?
The test involves drawing blood, usually from the arm. The results are usually sent to a laboratory and most often come back within several days.

When Should I Have My PSA Levels Tested?
PSA blood tests and digital rectal exams should be done every year for men beginning at age 50, and earlier (age 40) for African American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer.

If your doctor is concerned that you might have prostate cancer based on either your PSA level or a rectal exam, a biopsy (a lab testing of a small amount of tissue from the prostate) will be this next step This is the only way to positively identify the presence of cancer.
What Does an Elevated PSA Level Mean?
Elevated PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer or a noncancerous condition such as prostatitis or an enlarged prostate.

Your PSA level can also be affected by other factors:

Age. Your PSA will normally go up slowly as you age, even if you have no prostate problems.
Medications. Some medicines may affect blood PSA levels. Tell your healthcare provider if you are taking finasteride (Proscar or Propecia) or dutasteride (Avodart). These drugs may falsely lower PSA levels typically by half of what it would normally be.
If your PSA level is high, your doctor may recommend that you get a prostate biopsy to determine if you have cancer.

Alternative PSA Testing
There are some new PSA tests that may help you and your health care provider determine if you need a biopsy. You should know that doctors do not always agree on how to use or analyze the results of these additional tests.

Percent-free PSA. PSA takes two major forms in the blood. One is attached, our bound, to blood proteins and the other circulates freely. The percent-free PSA test indicates how much PSA circulates free compared to the total PSA level. The percentage of free PSA is lower in men who have prostate cancer than in men who do not. Studies show that if your PSA results are in the borderline range (4 to 10), a low percent-free PSA (less than 10%) means that your likelihood of having prostate cancer is about 50% and that you should probably have a biopsy.
Many doctors recommend biopsies for men whose percent-free PSA is 20 or less.

PSA velocity. The PSA velocity is not a separate test. Rather, it is the change in PSA levels over time. Even when the total PSA value isn't higher than 4, a high PSA velocity (an increase greater than 0.75 ng/mL in one year) suggests that cancer may be present and a biopsy should be considered.
Using the PSA Blood Test After Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
Although the PSA test is used mainly to screen for prostate cancer, it is valuable in other situations:

To guide treatment. Along with a doctor's examination and tumor grade, the PSA test can help determine how advanced a prostate cancer is. This may affect treatment options.
To determine treatment success. After surgery or radiation, the PSA level can be monitored to help determine if treatment was successful. PSA levels normally fall to very low levels if the treatment removed or destroyed all of the cancer cells. A rising PSA level can mean that prostate cancer cells are present and your cancer has come back.
If you choose a "watchful waiting" approach to treatment, the PSA level can help determine if the disease is progressing and if active treatment should be considered.

During hormonal therapy, the PSA level can help indicate how well the treatment is working or when it may be time to try another treatment.

Reviewed by the doctors at The Cleveland Clinic Urological Institute (2006).

Author: **fremmel** » January 12, 2008, 7:42 am

Excellent article polehawk. In my case my PSA wasn't much over 4 but climbed 1.5 points in less than a year. And my Free PSA dropped to around 10%. That's why my doctor got concerned and did the biopsy. I'm not sure if you can get a Free PSA test in Udon or not. At a hospital in Sattahep where I tried to get it checked they thought I wanted a "free" PSA check - one I didn't have to pay for.

One thing the above article didn't warn about is that sex will temporarily elevate your PSA. You need to abstain for 3 or 4 days prior to getting checked. I don't know why that isn't more commonly discussed. I've seen it a couple of places on the internet but I've only had one doctor - the one who found my cancer - warn me about it. Maybe they think that's no longer an issue for us!

Author: **mackayae** » January 12, 2008, 9:44 am

Good question. Does anyone know if you can get a percent-free PSA test in Udon. I get a PSA test everyear at AEK. The doctor has never mentioned a percent-free PSA test.

Author: **Galee** » January 12, 2008, 9:58 am

I remember reading an article in the UK press about how regular sex can reduce the chances on getting prostrate cancer.

The moral of the article was, "USE IT, OR LOSE IT".

Author: **jackspratt** » January 12, 2008, 10:37 am

Galee wrote:I remember reading an article in the UK press about how regular sex can reduce the chances on getting prostrate cancer.

Does a second person need to participate

Author: **Galee** » January 12, 2008, 11:31 am

jackspratt wrote:
Does a second person need to participate

Up to you.

As long as your flushing your tubes out regulary.

And no, don't ask me how many times a day that is.

Author: **JimboPSM** » January 12, 2008, 11:45 am

Galee wrote:I remember reading an article in the UK press about how regular sex can reduce the chances on getting prostrate cancer.

Possibly an article on the results of some kind of comparative actuarial life expectancy study which included missionaries #-o

Prostate Cancer

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