The problem with Prostate Cancer is it is unpredictable. It can grow very slowly, or it can grow very quickly with no concrete way to tell.
This uncertainty can cause the patient and the doctor to over react and perform an invasive biopsy or even surgery. If you watch daytime TV it seems there is a law firm for every drug and medical procedure.
The simple fact is there is no reliable test for diagnosing or gauging the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.
The PSA test results can be in influenced by:
- Common prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and infection.
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia, a natural enlargement of the prostate that often occurs with ageing.
- Drugs for the prostate and the drugs, used to treat male-pattern baldness.
- Ejaculation, which can elevate PSA levels for up to 48 hours afterwards.
- Any physical activity, especially cycling, which can physically stimulate the prostate to produce more PSA.
- The Digital Exam the Doctors perform.
If this sounds confusing it is, if it sounds like you are playing chicken with a deadly disease, you are.
I wish men would get their act together and have a group like the . They won’t, due to some macho BS. While waiting for my treatments, I had some great conversation with the breast cancer women; the men gave you a nod and buried their heads in a magazine.
Back to the subject at hand. Do you decline testing if you are over 50, no it is not a good idea. The digital exam you should not decline since any abnormality needs to be investigated.
If your PSA is elevated, get re tested and work with your doctor to eliminate the other causes of an elevated PSA. If they will not work with you, go find another doctor.
