Posted on 07/03/2026 11:59:52 AM PDT by TexasKamaAina
Patients with advanced prostate cancer may need periodic imaging scans to catch tumor growth even with stable levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein in the blood that doctors routinely monitor for cancer progression, according to an analysis led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Duke University. In some cases, cancer progression was detected on scans even when PSA levels were undetectable.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.cornell.edu ...
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I am 62, have had precisely 1 DRE, and will never have another one.
Diagnostic tests are not meant to be the sole indicators of disease.
,,, ha! Classic!! I had thirty nine days of radiation for my prostate. I've gone from three monthly to six monthly checks with the oncologist. I had a two yearly bowel screen which checked out fine but I was passing clots. I got a colonoscopy and it showed radiation burns. The doctor performing the colonoscopy said he could fix that there and then. He used argon plasma. I could see [on the screen] the ultra white lightning hit as I felt the shocks... it put an end to that problem. So, I'm still OK to keep paying tax.
i’ve had bph for a long time. my prostate size was over 150 but then I had a minimumally invasive PAE surgery. That might have brought it down to under 100. I don’t know. the last check of my psa was about 12. but I might have been off my finasteride at the time. that’s what keeps my psa in mormal range. otherwise it would be way high.
In the first years I had a high psa numbers, I checked thoroughly for cancer but found nothing. concluded it was just bph.
cancer does not run in my family anywhere. so I’m not worried about it.
I’ve learned that the fda has approved some more minimmally invasive procedures as of 12/2025. one is a stent. they may not be approved for medicare but whenever they are approved, I’ll use those too.
Reminds me of the joke where the doctor says don’t get an erection Jeff. Patient goes my name’s not Jeff..... The doctor replied oh, I was talking to myself.
“I am 74, have BPH, and my PSA runs 5-7 for the last few years. My urologist gets that checked twice a year, and does a DRE every 12 to 18 months.”
80. Gleason 6/7.
PSA was higher but after two biopsies and finesteride my latest was 1.09.
We do MRI every two years.
““Unreliable” I was told. Have read similar reports to that effect.”
Better to verify what you are ‘told’ before repeating it.
Screening for prostate cancer is done with a blood test that measures the amount of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) protein in the blood. An elevated PSA level may be caused by prostate cancer. It can also be caused by other conditions, too, including an enlarged prostate and inflammation of the prostate.
Va.gov
Get a colonoscopy... It’s the only way to be sure.
> I am 62, have had precisely 1 DRE, and will never have another one.
I can get behind that sentiment. So to speak.
BPH is annoying as hell but it’s not cancer so that’s in its favor.
“My urologist has expressed his frustration with doctors that do not conduct a DRE. He said that no one likes doing it or receiving it but it, though uncomfortable, is quick, painless, easy and effective.”
17 years ago I survived a Robot-Assisted Radical Prostectomy. My PSA had gone from 3.0 to 21 in a year.
My eye twitched uncontrollably when your post’s discussion turned to DRE’s. I’ve had a few. One observation and THEN we are to NEVER discuss this again!
Male doctors are HORRIBLE at THIS!!
They lube up, stick their gloved finger in you, QUICKLY pull the finger out THEN rush to the sink to wash their finger with Comet Cleanser.
Just .. . WHAT did you LEARN from THAT, Doctor?
They KNOW that if they spend more than 1/2 a second for the ENTIRE procedure then the patient will think the doctor is a homo. They’ll say, in their BEST John Wayne voice, as they furiously scrub their fingers, “I don’t know about YOU, but I’m going after them Indians.”
I had a FEMALE doctor give me a DRE. She took her time. She searched. Something NO male doctor EVER did. She was NOT
intimidated or cowed by the examination and did her JOB, which was to collect as much evidence as she could that would help in a diagnosis.
I wish you the BEST!
I’ve been on active monitoring for 4 years now. PSA has been hovering around 4 but has now crept up to 6. My last MRI showed a bigger area of concern than before - having another biopsy in a few weeks to determine the next step. My urologist says increased PSA might be from increased BPH rather than worse cancer, so we’ll see. I’ve had 1 DRE and neither one of us enjoyed it so we haven’t had any more.
“Routine PSA screening is no longer recommended because the harms of unnecessary testing and treatment outweigh the benefits.”
I was told this in so many words by VA Doctor, NP and PA. If you are still uncertain? Call VA.
Never trust doctors. 6 yrs ago I had a PSA at 30. The doc said I had only a few weeks to live without radical surgery which I refused. He had a EXO-DX test where I scored a 63. Supposedly anything over a 15 shows severe cancer. I called testing company and their urologist said to throw the results out as worthless if taken while there was a prostate infection. It messes up the RNA whatever that is. The doctor should have know that so he was either uneducated or crooked. Current test shows a PSA of 170. 3 MRI’s, 3 Ultrasounds and a full body bone scan with dye shows nothing is wrong.
PSA scores are junk. A prostate infection or BPH can give false readings. Read the article==The Great Prostate Hoax by Richard Ablin
“Never trust doctors. 6 yrs ago ...”
So 2020. The year doctors became retarded thanks to the likes of Fauci, etc.
My friend had her first visit with a new PCP, basically a child, about three years ago. They were reviewing Friend’s list of meds. Aspirin was on it.
PCP: Why do you take aspirin?
Friend: For pain.
PCP: Why would you take aspirin for pain?
😒
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