ocman
Member
There seems to be some confusion on whether you may need an invasive test like an 3T mpMRI or Biopsy if you have a high PSA test.
As far as people in the past getting unnecessary surgery or radiation, I'm sure that's happened. IMO, there would be no need for Surgery or Radiation unless you have had a biopsy that shows PCa Gleason 7 or higher. If you have Gleason 6, you could be a candidate for AS (active surveillance).
The NCCN guidelines for Prostate Cancer (PCa) and early detection can be found here.
It's not very common but, it's known that some men have had Gleason 10 (grade 5) Prostate Cancer with a PSA level under 2. Normal PSA is 0-4.
If you're having a hard time emptying your bladder you could have BPH (enlarged prostate) or simply Prostatitis (infection of the prostate - can take antibiotics). Both of those conditions can raise your PSA.
If your PSA is out of the normal range or you see it rising rapidly over time, the easiest test to get is a SelectMDX and/or 4Kscore which are blood tests, that can predict your chances of having PCa, of course this is just a prediction, but can give your some insight. Also a DRE (digital rectal exam) is recommended to see if your Prostate is enlarged, has nodules, or very hard which can indicate problems.
The only way to tell if you have Prostate Cancer is by having a Biopsy.
If your Urologist recommends getting a scan and you decide to get one, you want to get an 3T mpMRI (multi parametric MRI) because if you have areas of concern that need to be biopsied you can get a Fusion Guided Biopsy which can target the areas of concern. In the old days they did the traditional TRUS (trans-rectal ultrasound biopsy - blind biopsy), where they take random samples of your Prostate in a grid pattern.
If you have a 3T mpMRI and it shows areas of concern with a PI-RADS score of 4-5, I would seriously consider having a Fusion Biopsy for a definitive answer as to whether you have PCa or not.
peace
As far as people in the past getting unnecessary surgery or radiation, I'm sure that's happened. IMO, there would be no need for Surgery or Radiation unless you have had a biopsy that shows PCa Gleason 7 or higher. If you have Gleason 6, you could be a candidate for AS (active surveillance).
The NCCN guidelines for Prostate Cancer (PCa) and early detection can be found here.
It's not very common but, it's known that some men have had Gleason 10 (grade 5) Prostate Cancer with a PSA level under 2. Normal PSA is 0-4.
If you're having a hard time emptying your bladder you could have BPH (enlarged prostate) or simply Prostatitis (infection of the prostate - can take antibiotics). Both of those conditions can raise your PSA.
If your PSA is out of the normal range or you see it rising rapidly over time, the easiest test to get is a SelectMDX and/or 4Kscore which are blood tests, that can predict your chances of having PCa, of course this is just a prediction, but can give your some insight. Also a DRE (digital rectal exam) is recommended to see if your Prostate is enlarged, has nodules, or very hard which can indicate problems.
The only way to tell if you have Prostate Cancer is by having a Biopsy.
If your Urologist recommends getting a scan and you decide to get one, you want to get an 3T mpMRI (multi parametric MRI) because if you have areas of concern that need to be biopsied you can get a Fusion Guided Biopsy which can target the areas of concern. In the old days they did the traditional TRUS (trans-rectal ultrasound biopsy - blind biopsy), where they take random samples of your Prostate in a grid pattern.
If you have a 3T mpMRI and it shows areas of concern with a PI-RADS score of 4-5, I would seriously consider having a Fusion Biopsy for a definitive answer as to whether you have PCa or not.
peace
