JOY SCALE: 10/10
Hello Everyone, PSA stands for Prostate-Specific Antigen and blood is tested for PSA levels. PSA is a substance made by the normal prostate gland. Men's semen contain the most PSA, but a small amount is found in the blood. A PSA level under 4 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) is found in most men. Prostate cancer generally will make the PSA level to go above 4. If you PSA is between 4 and 10 you have a 25% chance of having prostate cancer. If it is more than 10 you have a 50% chance and increases as your PSA levels increase. It is important to know that around 15% of men with a PSA below 4 will have prostate cancer.
There are other factors that can affect your PSA levels. The levels can increase with noncancerous enlargement of the prostate which can happen as men get older. The levels can increase with an infection of the prostate gland called prostatitis. The levels can go up slowly as you age without any prostate gland abnormality. Ejaculation can cause a temporary increase in PSA levels. Some medications can affect the levels-Proscar or Avodart may falsely lower your PSA levels and require your doctor to adjust the reading. Herbal preparations that are labeled for prostate health could mask an elevated PSA level. Saw palmetto is an herb that does not seem to interfere with the measurement of PSA. It is generally taken for high blood pressure.
Your doctor may recommend a prostate biopsy if your PSA level is high. However, there are other types of PSA tests that are new and your doctor may want you to have those tests. They are Percent-free PSA, PSA velocity, and PSA density.
A high PSA level can mean you have prostate cancer, but it can't tell you how dangerous the cancer is.
My story (also in earlier post) started when I had my first PSA test 4 years ago. It was 3.5 and the next test was 2 years later in 2007. That reading was 28.5. Of course that level raised a few flags and I was treated first for prostatitis and then scheduled for a biopsy. On May 23rd, 2007 I was told I had prostate cancer. Later a bone scan showed that the cancer had spread to several bones. Some of these tumors have shrunk due to the hormone treatment and other holistic treatments. The rest of the story in posted here in my blog.
The majority of the information in this post was taken from the American Cancer Society's Quick Facts Prostate Cancer.
I have kept you entertained enough for one day.
Watch your Thoughts, they become words.
Watch your Words, they become actions.
Watch your Actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.
Breathe deeply and laugh long.
Peace and Love to All
Hello Everyone, PSA stands for Prostate-Specific Antigen and blood is tested for PSA levels. PSA is a substance made by the normal prostate gland. Men's semen contain the most PSA, but a small amount is found in the blood. A PSA level under 4 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) is found in most men. Prostate cancer generally will make the PSA level to go above 4. If you PSA is between 4 and 10 you have a 25% chance of having prostate cancer. If it is more than 10 you have a 50% chance and increases as your PSA levels increase. It is important to know that around 15% of men with a PSA below 4 will have prostate cancer.
There are other factors that can affect your PSA levels. The levels can increase with noncancerous enlargement of the prostate which can happen as men get older. The levels can increase with an infection of the prostate gland called prostatitis. The levels can go up slowly as you age without any prostate gland abnormality. Ejaculation can cause a temporary increase in PSA levels. Some medications can affect the levels-Proscar or Avodart may falsely lower your PSA levels and require your doctor to adjust the reading. Herbal preparations that are labeled for prostate health could mask an elevated PSA level. Saw palmetto is an herb that does not seem to interfere with the measurement of PSA. It is generally taken for high blood pressure.
Your doctor may recommend a prostate biopsy if your PSA level is high. However, there are other types of PSA tests that are new and your doctor may want you to have those tests. They are Percent-free PSA, PSA velocity, and PSA density.
A high PSA level can mean you have prostate cancer, but it can't tell you how dangerous the cancer is.
My story (also in earlier post) started when I had my first PSA test 4 years ago. It was 3.5 and the next test was 2 years later in 2007. That reading was 28.5. Of course that level raised a few flags and I was treated first for prostatitis and then scheduled for a biopsy. On May 23rd, 2007 I was told I had prostate cancer. Later a bone scan showed that the cancer had spread to several bones. Some of these tumors have shrunk due to the hormone treatment and other holistic treatments. The rest of the story in posted here in my blog.
The majority of the information in this post was taken from the American Cancer Society's Quick Facts Prostate Cancer.
I have kept you entertained enough for one day.
Watch your Thoughts, they become words.
Watch your Words, they become actions.
Watch your Actions, they become habits.
Watch your Habits, they become character.
Watch your Character, for it becomes your Destiny.
Breathe deeply and laugh long.
Peace and Love to All
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