I am 73 years old and was diagnosed in 2006, went through prostate removal and salvage radiation all of which were unsuccessful. Started intermittent adt early 2008 with Dr Tanya Dorff who was my oncologist at USC until we moved back east from Phoenix to New Hampshire( I know strange to many) All this time the adt is still effective and even with 2 Carbon Acetate scans by Dr Almeida in Phoenix, they only found one lymph node and no other metastasis.
During this period I spoke to my brother in New Zealand and reminded him to get a baseline psa done, he is 6 years younger than myself. All this time he refused until last week when finally a doctor in NZ suggested he should get a baseline psa. The result was a reading of 6, obviously as a sibling this is concerning to me but his doctor after feeling his prostate decided he felt normal and told him that this reading could be due to many things, bike riding which he hasn't done for over a year or maybe an infection, and as he hasn't displayed any symptoms he didn't think a trip to a urologist was needed and told him to come back in 3 months for another psa. I suppose my question is, am I being overly protective of him because I want him to be more proactive, or do any of you think I am overreacting?
Thanks guys and ladies for all the good work you put into this forum, and by the way I now see Dr Mary-Ellen Taplin at Dana Farber in Boston and the adt is still working
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arizonablue
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No. You are not. I got the same story from my doctor when my psa was rising. I was 54 and my father died from metastatic prostate cancer. She said same exact thing no need possibly just an infection or BPH. So I trusted her and waited until I saw blood in my semen. Then she sent me to a urologist but it was to late at that point. Now I am battling for my life. Tell him to go...now...do not wait. He is just being resistant probably out of fear.
I started on Lupron 90 day with Casodex and Finisteride back in 2008 with intermittent holidays until psa started its upward trend. During this time my onc in LA decided to move me on to Zytiga instead of Casodex with a hope of make my time off in between treatments a lot longer and durable. This did happen and since moving to New Hampshire, Dr Mary-Ellen Taplin at Dana Farber in Boston has carried on the same protocol after being off treatment for nearly 20 months. So in October this year I went back on Lupron 90 day with Zytiga, predisone and Avodart. My first lab six weeks later showed my psa went to undetectable at <0.02 and testosterone went to 3, all in all very good considering its ten years on and off ADT.
Thanks so much. I was diagnosed in 2002, 3+4 - 4+4, had RP and radiation in 2003, psa stayed below 4 until 2014, been on 50 mg Cassodex since 2014, my psa inching up to 1.5, last 3 months, 6 bone mets that are not spreading but growing slightly, Mayo Dr here in Arizona says Lupron, Lupron, Lupron. Who was you oncologist here in Arizona and California? Appreciate your help.
Thanks,
Tom Elliot
tceinvestments@msn.com
P.S. 75 degrees here today - I want to live as long as possible to enjoy the weather.
I never had a MO in AZ, I was recommended to go and see Dr Tanya Dorff at the Norris Cancer Center at USC in LAX, she treated me for over eight years and I loved her. I believe she has now gone full time into research. She recommended me to Dr Mary-Ellen Taplin at Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston after we left AZ to go back east. This center in Boston is top notch so I have been very blessed to have had two great prostate oncologists during this battle with this insidious disease.
Well arizona, If you can take a trip to NZ, tell your bro that if he doesn't see a Urologist every 6 months to have his psa and prostate (dre) checked that you're gonna kick him in his nuts (while he still has them) until his lips turn arizonaBLUE. This is assuming that your bigger than he is.
You are being a thoughtful brother. Statistically your brother's odds of prostate cancer are now doubled because you have been DX'd.
As mentioned earlier on this thread there are other PSA tests which can be done to clarify. I had the PSAFree (which is part of the Prostate Health Index) done and it was very instructive. It frustrates me that these are tests are not immediately done when there is cause for concern (they are just blood tests and they are not very expensive).
Note: the suggested correlation between bike riding and PSA seems real (it was for me) but the effect is only for a few days before the PSA test.
An example of familial risk:
My brother was diagnosed at 62 with a PSA of 2.5. He had no symptoms and only visited the urologist because of my DX and my father's. His urologist did not feel anything during the DRE but did an MRI. PCa was found and my brother was treated. My cancer probably saved my brother.
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Third rise in PSA, Doctor says come back in a year.
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Cancer spread to lungs and lymph nodes 
