PSA Test Results Meaning Explained In Plain English

If you are wondering what your PSA test results meaning is, you're not alone. If you ask ten different people this question, you will probably get ten different answers. Below is a brief run down of what it means (in "plain English").

First of all, realize the PSA test is not a set-in-stone indicator that you have prostate cancer or not.

This surprises a lot of men thanks to the misinformation that's been put out over the years about what a PSA test results meaning really means. It does not mean you have cancer or even any prostate problems at all just because it is high.

On the other hand, you are not necessarily safe and out of the woods if the score is low, either.

What the PSA measures is the level of prostate specific antigen in your blood.

If the levels are elevated, it may mean you have something wrong. But, on the other hand it might not mean anything at all. And, frankly, there have been men who had very low PSA scores (which is considered to be good) who still ended up having prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate or any number of problems.

The point is, you probably should get your PSA levels checked.

Especially if your doctor suggests is.

But, when you see the score, don't necessarily think it is a surefire indication if you have any prostate problems or not.

Maybe you do.

Maybe you don't.

But as far as your PSA test results meaning goes, it is just one of many things to test before you can be sure there is a problem or not.

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PSA Tests - Important Or A Waste Of Time And Money?

More and more it is becoming known how unreliable PSA tests are for accurately indicating whether or not someone has prostate cancer. Does this mean they are a waste of time and money? Or should you continue to get the test?

If you asked ten different people those questions, you would likely get ten different answers.

But the reality is, PSA tests, while useful, are not something you should take to the bank as being 100% accurate when it comes to you having prostate cancer or other related health problems.

It is true that men with elevated levels of PSA in their blood due often have prostate problems.

But, there are also many men who have high PSA levels who have nothing wrong whatsoever with their prostates. On other hand, there are also many men who have had low levels of PSA in their blood who were found to have prostate cancer. But, because they had a false sense of security (because they thought they were safe due to their low PSA number), they ended up either dying or the cancer spread.

Either way is bad.

And, this is one reason not to rely on the test for anything.

Yes, it can be a useful tool.

And in as much as you can gauge whether your PSA levels are trending up or down over time, it can be a good thing.

But don't take the results as "gospel" that anything is right or wrong.

It's just one of many ways to test for prostate cancer.

And that is why PSA tests and their results should be taken with a grain of salt.

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Prostate Cancer Treatment For People Who Don't Want Their Gland Cut Out By A Surgeon's Knife

Not all prostate cancer treatment involves cutting your prostate out of your body and all the terrible potential side effects that can happen as a result. Sometimes it can be painless and just as effective as removal.

In fact, here is a great example to think about:

Not long ago, my own father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He had just recently survived two other kinds of cancer (multiple myeloma and skin cancer) and had already been on all the chemotherapy and all he misery that can entail for someone.

So he was not liking the idea of any prostate cancer treatment that is uncomfortable or painful. Nor was he keen on having his prostate cut out by a surgeon either, as he'd researched all the possible side effects (life long urination problems and sexual dysfunction).

His options were pretty clear, though. And his challenge was which one to choose.

Well, one of the options he was given was to have radioactive "seeds" implanted around the tumors in his prostate. The idea being, the radiation only affects the tumors and leaves the rest of your prostate (and surrounding tissue - like your bladder, etc) untouched and working fine.

In the end, that's the choice he went with.

And, while it was a bit inconvenient (he had to drive 80 miles round trip 5 days per week, for 8 weeks), he said it was surprisingly fast, painless and efficient. In fact, it only took 15 minutes each day and he never felt anything.

This may or may not be the best treatment for you.

But if you are looking for prostate cancer treatment, it's definitely one of the more interesting options.

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Prostate Cancer Drugs: Miracles Or Just Hype?

If you study various prostate cancer drugs long enough, you'll eventually come across one that will get you a excited, but that will be demonized by others.

Here's what I mean:

On the one hand, you have various experts singing the many prostate cancer drugs' praises.

But on the other hand, you have others saying many are actually dangerous -- that they not only can give you many of the same symptoms as certain serious prostate problems (like the chills, fever, back pain, headache, etc) but there's too much room for error and, in some cases, they could attack your healthy cells, too.

Personally, I don't have much of an opinion either way.

Thank God I have not had prostate cancer and hope never to get it.

Which is the point I want to bring in this article:

Whether or not prostate drugs, or saw palmetto or any other drug or medication or herb really works... the best cure is always prevention.

What are you doing to prevent prostate cancer?

Are you getting adequate amounts of zinc, lycopene, vitamin D and other nutrients that are known to be good for preventing the disease?

Or are you eating and living a lifestyle that makes you prone to getting sick?

A lot of this comes down to personal responsibility.

Too many people are hoping for a magic vaccine or surgery to save them.

But the reality is, whether it's prostate cancer drugs, surgery or something natural... nothing is ever guaranteed when it comes to your health.

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What Is HIFU and Who Is a Good Candidate With Prostate Cancer?

HIFU, or High Intensity Focused Ultrasound, is a minimally invasive technique for treatment of localized prostate cancer. HIFU focuses ultrasound energy and sound waves to a targeted area in the prostate resulting in rapid temperature increases and focal ablation of the treatment zone with great accuracy. In most cases, HIFU is performed on an outpatient basis in one to four hours depending on the size of the prostate. The biggest advantage of HIFU is a very low incontinence rate of less than 2% and a post-treatment erectile dysfunction rate of 20 to 30%. The key to success with HIFU, however, is proper patient selection. Candidates include men with low- to intermediate-risk localized prostate cancer (i.e., no spread of cancer outside of the prostate). These men would have clinical stage T1 or T2b disease (i.e., no palpable nodule or nodule confined one lobe of the prostate), Gleason score of 7 or less (preferably not greater than Gleason Score 3+4=7), PSA level of less than 20, and a prostate volume of 40 grams or less. Initial data for treatment of appropriately selected men with HIFU has shown results comparable to other modalities with regard to localized cancer control, biochemical recurrence, and disease-free survival. Additionally, reported incontinence and erectile dysfunction rates after HIFU are quite low at less that 2% and 20 to 30%, respectively.

Advantages of HIFU as a means of treating select men with prostate cancer include a non-surgical, minimally invasive technique requiring no hospital stay. Additionally, the prostate cancer tissue is destroyed without any radiation exposure. HIFU is repeatable should re-treatment become necessary in the future. Additionally, HIFU can be used to treat recurrent prostate cancer that was initially treated by other means, such as radiation or proton therapy. Another impressive application of HIFU for treatment of localized prostate cancer lies in emerging successes with focal therapy of prostate cancer. In these select cases, studies would be performed to ensure a low-volume of prostate cancer limited to one lobe or a specific focal site within the prostate. The involved lobe or the specific site of the patient's prostate cancer would then be focally treated. Candidates for focal HIFU include men with low-volume (less than or equal to 3 cores positive for cancer, no single core with greater than 50% positive), Gleason Score of 6 or less, and a PSA of less than 10. These men would undergo "template" or "saturation" biopsies with greater to 24 cores evaluated. Recent studies looking at focal therapy of prostate cancer in very select men with low-volume disease are emerging and early results look promising although no long term data is yet available. Early results in some studies show up to 90% recurrence free survival following focal therapy in closely monitored men. Incontinence rates following focal HIFU were 0 to 1% and erectile dysfunction rates less than 5% in one study looking at results at three and six months following treatment.

HIFU is a minimally invasive treatment option for men with low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer. The key to its success as with all options for treatment lies in appropriate candidate selection. HIFU is performed internationally and is currently undergoing clinical trials for FDA approval in the US. American urologists are trained in performing HIFU and work with American teams internationally in order to offer this treatment to appropriately selected patients interested in HIFU as a means of treating their prostate cancer. As always, be sure to discuss all options with your urologist including the risks, benefits and alternatives to each before making an informed decision regarding treatment of your prostate cancer. Maintain open and honest discussions with your doctor when considering these options as the key to your success is finding the treatment that suits you and your particular cancer the best.

Dr. Ali Kasraeian is one of a few surgeons in the region able to perform both laparoscopic and robotic prostate, bladder, kidney, adrenal and reconstructive surgery. In addition, he is one of North Florida's only minimally invasive surgeons trained as a HIFU surgeon.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ali_Kasraeian

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Article Submitted On: April 01, 2011

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PSA Testing And Prostate Cancer - How To Make Sense Of The Numbers

PSA testing can be confusing for some men. What do the numbers mean? And, do high numbers really mean you have prostate cancer?

Very good questions.

And, the reason these questions are asked so often is due to all the conflicting information floating around.

It used to be thought that high levels of prostate specific antigen in your blood was almost a cancer sentence and it has led to many unnecessary prostate biopsies and, in some gruesome cases, prostate removal.

Unfortunately, PSA testing is not that accurate.

Yes, it is a good test to do -- but do not rely on the results as indication you do or don't have any prostate problems. There have been many cases where someone had high PSA numbers and had absolutely nothing wrong with their prostates whatsoever. There have also been many cases where men had low PSA test numbers and still ended up having prostate cancer.

Does that mean the test it worthless?

And that you should not have it done?

Not necessarily.

Yes, in a sense the numbers are worthless -- especially since so many other things can influence them (even just having sex the night before the test may be able to influence the numbers).

But, at the same time, it is still useful.

Especially if your numbers are trending up or down each time you get it done.

A good goal is still to get your PSA lower, so as far as that goes the PSA testing is a good thing, and something every man should do.

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Signs Of Prostate Cancer Men Sometimes Miss

There are many signs of prostate cancer that are obvious. And there are also a few that are not so obvious (that are usually mistaken for BPH or prostatitis). Below is one sign that often slips through the cracks.

Check this out:

There was a guy who had some troubles with his legs, but kept putting off getting checked out.

He had always worked out a lot, and had spent 30 years doing heavy labor as a job.

And because of that, nobody (especially himself) thought anything of his swollen legs. He did, however, have some other problems, too, with going pee -- including a weak stream, and just general problems getting started.

He had no idea he could be experiencing signs of prostate cancer.

It was the furthest thing from his mind.

Instead, he thought maybe it was just an enlarged prostate at worst.

Millions of men have the condition.

And the TV commercials did a good job of educating him.

Luckily, he went to get check out. Most guys don't (who wants to go in for a prostate exam?). But he figured he might as well and did. And it turned out he didn't have BPH or prostatitis or anything like that:

He had prostate cancer!

And, it was getting pretty advanced, too. Fortunately for him, it had not spread and they were able to take care of it.

But the message is clear:

Not all signs of prostate cancer are the obvious ones having to do with urinating or sexual problems. And by ignoring your overall health, aches and pains, you could be setting yourself up for serious pain, illness or even death.

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