Friday, May 28, 2010

Having a PSA of 85, what are the chances of having progressed prostate cancer

Having a PSA of 85, what are the chances of having progressed prostate cancer?

Cancer - 2 Answers
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1 :
The PSA test has become more and more unreliable and doctors don't use it like this did years ago. The PSA can be high with no prostate cancer present. Nurse Kindheart
2 :
Immediately find yourself a urologist, and have a prostate biopsy. The chances of Prostate Cancer with a confirmed PSA of this magnitude are extremely high! If you value your time remaining on this earth, please do this. From the "PSA Rising" site: (http://www.psa-rising.com/prostatecancer/psa-test.htm) "Elevated PSA levels in a man who has never been treated for prostate cancer may be a sign of any prostate problem. PSA rise may indicate prostatitis (infection). It may indicate benign growth or swelling of the prostate (BPH). Or it may indicate prostate cancer. PSA is made in the prostate. It is measured in nanograms per milliliter of blood. Normally, PSA levels in the blood remain very low. Any hurt to or injury of the normal prostate, such as from inflammation caused by infection, may cause more PSA to leak into the bloodstream. In the past, most doctors considered PSA values below 4.0 ng/ml as normal. However, recent research found prostate cancer in men with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/ml. Many doctors are now using the following ranges, with some variation: 0 to 2.5 ng/ml is low 2.6 to 10 ng/ml is slightly to moderately elevated 10 to 19.9 ng/ml is moderately elevated 20 ng/ml or more is significantly elevated This new approach reflects the fact that relatively low PSA levels in the blood may mask some aggressive prostate cancers. Rate of PSA over time is a key factor in diagnosing prostate cancer. This is sometimes called PSA velocity and sometimes calculated as "PSA doubling time." In men with prostate cancer, tumor doubling time ranges from a month or two to over 12 or 15 years. PSA doubling time is a pretty reliable indicator of cancer cell doubling although not a sufficient indicator without biopsy and imaging scans."

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Monday, May 24, 2010

What does the pituitary gland have to do with prostate cancer

what does the pituitary gland have to do with prostate cancer?

Cancer - 3 Answers
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1 :
pituitary gland is responsible for the reproductive organs in males, essentially, if the pituitary gland stops working, chaos.
2 :
As Katy C answered, the pituitary gland is in charge of releasing hormones, both in males and females. Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that affects a part of the male sex-organ system; the prostate is in charge of making part of the fluid in semen. Hormones are required for producing semen, and thus comes in the pituitary gland. Without the pituitary gland, the prostate would have no spark to get it going: hormones.
3 :
It is a bit complicated, but this link explains it. In a short simple form, the pituitary gland initiates a sequence of events that ends in the production of testosterone. Testosterone can make the cells of prostate cancer grow and reproduce more quickly. I learned quite a lot about this sort of thing when my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Anyone have personal experience w/ prostate cancer

Anyone have personal experience w/ prostate cancer?
I would like for someone who has/had prostate cancer to answer a couple of questions for me. Did you get really aggressive toward ppl? If so, have you gotten over it?
Cancer - 1 Answers
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1 :
Survivor here. You're asking an excellent question. The answer is that the cancer itself has no direct effect on behavior. But a lot of men act defensively, because the disease forces you to balance intensely personal issues like continence and potency against survival. I think most men have difficulty dealing with such intimate subjects. For those who can't overcome this, anger is the result. This is usually directed against anyone who tries to get "inside" and help. Sometimes it's directed at anything which poses even the remotest challenge to their manhood. If you have someone in this situation, all you can do is educate yourself about the disease, and try to be helpful where you can. Most PCa support groups welcome family members for this reason.

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