Hi, I'm a 57 year old with unconfirmed prostate cancer. My psa has been elevated for 14 years and recently jumped from 6 to 14 in a 6 month time frame.
Since it was over 10, I thought it was time for a biopsy. My DRE was negative so I wasn't too surprised when it came back as negative. From what I read, if the DRE is negative and the psa is below 20, odds are that the biopsy will be negative. It doesn't mean I don't have cancer, just that it didn't find it.
Last couple years I've been floundering about with diet and am now on a Vegan diet. I'm very interested in how diet and nutrients effects prostate cancer. I'm also very interested if any others have had success with diet?
As far as nutrients, I'm taking 4000 IU vitamin D and eating broccoli sprouts, and not consuming meat or dairy. I'm wondering why some countries have higher prostate mortality rates than others. I'm reading about the effects of cholesterol on prostate cancer. Apparently prostate cancer doesn't feed directly off glucose, rather it feeds off lipids and is why statins have been shown to be effective.
My total cholesterol is low but my HDL is very high, around 60. My non-HDL cholesterols are very low. A recent study is saying elevated HDL is now a risk for advance prostate cancer. Can't win! HA.
Prostate cancer runs in my family. My brother, father and his brother all have had prostate cancer and have all had prostatectomies.
Being a retired web developer, I've created a blog of my thoughts at nutrition.mossycity.com . I'll warn you ahead of time, writing was never my strength. Several of the published articles on the blog are a work in progress because I don't have all the answers.
--Mike
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My Free PSA dropped from 30 to around 15 during that same time period. I will look at getting the PHI and study up on it as well.
Just now looking at what the PHI is it looks like it uses ProPSA and is suppose to be more cancer specific than either the total or free PSA. I have BPH too (around 60 cc) so that would be a good thing!
Definitely don't wish another biopsy!, probably will elect for a MRI next time if my PSA continues to rise. My insurance will pay for it now that I have a negative biopsy. If the MRI doesn't show any nodules, I may ignore the PSA ; but will think about the PHI.
Insurance covers it (it's cheap anyway). You can also have Confirm MDx done on your biopsy tissue - it confirms that your negative was a true negative, and has a negative predictive value of about 90%. you will have to see if your insurance covers it.
This is a very interesting result. If I'm reading this correctly, it says HDL increase proliferation and migration of prostate cancer cells for androgen-independent PCa but not for androgen-dependent PCa. To be honest, I've only read the abstract so far.
I think its possible some of the benefit that is being reported with nutrition/diet like broccoli sprouts is due to their effects on cholesterol. I've read that eating broccoli sprouts reduces your non-HDL cholesterol while increasing your HDL. Now I'm wondering if broccoli sprouts may even be harmful to the ADT group. The article claimed benefit was due to down regulating the androgen receptor. That wouldn't help the ADT group, cancerpreventionresearch.aa....
Seems other nutrients may possibly effect the ADT PCa group differently too. For example, high doses of vitamin D in mice "neither vitamin D analog had any effect on castration resistant prostate cancer in mice treated pre- or post-castration. Interestingly, although vitamin D showed inhibitory activity against primary tumors in hormone-intact mice, distant organ metastases seemed to be enhanced following treatment". The metastases part was scary above but I'm still going to take 4000 IU D.
I feel they did a really poor job of documenting their HDL results. I didn't see what range of levels they looked at HDL. They excluded men with very high HDLs for some reason "129 men with HDL or cholesterol values ≥ three standard deviations outside the mean were excluded".
Other studies I've read said just the opposite, higher HDL decrease risk of advance prostate cancer.
Genetically you are somewhat of a marked man. As to how much help you will get from nutrition.....there are many on this site who have a variety of nutrition beliefs. Hopefully you will hear from them. Also, medical centers have nutritionists in their Quality of Life programs.
So true! It may be my destiny. I would like to visit a nutritionist someday. Especially since I'm trying vegan, and may be missing some nutrients. Thanks!
I had a elevated PSA and did a random -4 needle biopsy that was negative. I then did an MRI guided biopsy. They saw a spot and did only 3 needles there. All three were 90% involved Gleason 8. 0-14 vs 3-3. I’d do the MRI guided biopsy.
its hereditary pc, also if u have a elevated psa but show no signs my best buddy had the elevated psa but was dx with enlarged prostrate never had cancer. i know how painful and surgery for that i wouldn't wish that on anyone.
charflie
Vegan diet is great, whole food plant based, no sugar, broccoli sprouts are great also.
You could consider some supplements and maybe cannabis.
But to know more you should do a MRI guided biopsy (TRUS). So first the MRI
You are correct.. ridiculous but the VA is government .
in reply to
Lulu700 and Conagher You do not loose any benefits, to include service connection disability or medical care, if using anything with THC. I know first hand.
I beg to differ One year agoI was experiencing intense stabbing pain in the t8 area that the cancer spread to. It went away and never returned. I take 10 drops a day along with my Zytiga. Ps i was almost in the ground in January 2018. Lots of prayers, good food, good medicine and a very expensive pure cbd hemp oil. Although the cancer is still in my t8 area, the 1 year scan showed the strawberry sized tumors on my lung to have completely resolved. Gone! What worked? I dont know. We are all different.
To be clear I am referring to CBD hemp, i.e. industrial hemp, below 0.3% THC so it is legally classified as industrial hemp under the Farm Bill. I get flower and trim and make my own cannabutter and brownies. The beneficial effects I've noted during IMRT with abiraterone, just finished my 7th week today: helps with appetite, so I can take the prednisone when I need to, keeps mood on an even keel, definitely helps with a good nights sleep if I eat a brownie 2 hrs before bed, general feeling of well being, eliminates aches and pain and low level chronic pain and finally, in a complete surprise, got rid of my gout. The joints in my big toes had almost locked up from the crystals in the joint and were extremely hard to bend and I had to use my hand to do it. With high doses of high concentration CBD strains, I rapidly felt the gout drain out of my toes and I can wiggle them freely on their own. I can go back to eating foods that were off limits because of the gout. I really did not expect this at all. Also, this stuff is vastly cheaper than medical marijuana. For example, I buy high quality trim for 1/25th the cost of medical marijuana trim. And of course it does not cause or contribute to cognitive decline, no risk of unpleasant abnormal reaction as with THC. I don't think for one second it "cures cancer" or anything like that but I am hoping it helps with the uptake of the radiation. I have no way of knowing if it helps or not. I am doing so fine with the treatment so far, though I credit exercise more for that. I certainly don't think CBD is essential to anyone, and don't think it cures cancer, and do not even recommend it to anyone. But for people interested in cannabis it might be safer, more effective, and cheaper for people already interested in medical marijuana. It's also a lot easier to get and manage. Oh, btw, my gray hair is turning dark and the bald spots filling in but I think that is due to the radiation and abiraterone.
I tried the vegan route and it is helpful but I did not feel strong on it. It did not lower my Psa . I was on active surveillance for 2 years and could only lower my Psa by 2 as it was 10 -11. I tried various supplements and basically used myself as a human guinea pig. I feel I should have given fasting a shot but did not. I had one biopsy that was gleason 3 plus 4 then an MRI a year after that showed cancer in the area they could not get needles into and a small protrusion , all low risk. One year later my Urologist said I was ok to keep on watching as stable Psa but I asked for another MRI and the protrusion had grown 1 mm. I chose RP by robot. Recovering now. I am eating less meat now but all organic local meat and fish with vegan meals as well. I feel good on it. I don't think vegan cures but it is a healthy way. RP is more invasive and serious than they make it out to be but for me was the way to go as I had a large prostate and could see peeing problems down the road. I have other problems caused by RP that I am working on. Sex and incontinence . I believe some supplements are helpful but I dont believe there is any magic bullet. A book " The Key To Prostate Cancer " by Scholz was and is very helpful. Hope all goes well for you!
I hope you're wrong about a high HDL being bad for you. That sounds like 1984- good is bad and up is down. My ex-wife had an HDL in the 80's and she never got Prostate cancer.
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