When do you all get your blood work done to see your PSA?

[chocolatelover_123]

My dad gets blood work done every month, however in the past, he’s also been told that people get blood work done every 3-6 months. Why is that? Wouldn’t getting bloodwork done every 3-6 months be risky?

[Hidden]

The guidelines in the US for metastatic prostate cancer are to check PSA every 3 months.

nccn.org/patients/guideline...

Those with low risk disease can go every year. Some stage 4 guys are more comfortable with checking it every month, but as with any test you have to think about what you are going to do about it. My doctor has told me we don't want to be chasing the PSA and be treating the cancer, not the PSA. The important thing is that you shouldn't change treatments based on PSA alone.

Personally, if my PSA has been stable, I'm good with every 3 months, but if starts taking off I like to check it more often. Last time, I decided to just split the checks and do them every 6 weeks until things became more stable.

But ironically, Covid came along and I decided not to go in at 6 weeks, instead waiting for the full 3 months. Turns out my PSA was undetectable.

[Hidden]

It definitely is.

People who value their monitoring, do it more frequently. People who just listen to what their dr says, don't. In medical schools future drs are not taught Information Theory.

Since the early 1980 with the appearance of the CD player, the sigma-delta converter made its massive entrance in the world consumer electronics. What does the sigma-delta converter have to do with PSA? There is what is called quantisazation noise, very dominant in low PSA values. For example, one gets four PSAs like 0.02, 0.02. 0.02 and then 0.03. Oh, he thinks, I had a 50% increase since last time. Entirely wrong! It may be that he has had a hidden constant increase like 0.016, 0.020, 0.024 and 0.028 only that the test didn't have the granularity of the 3rd decimal point. BUT, with the same analytical lab equipment and more frequent tests he could had been advise both correctly and earlier. Information theory tells us that as the sampling rate gets increased, any kind of noise is suppressed and the definition is improved. If you don't believe me talk to your sigma-delta converter in your dust gathering CD player. It knows better then your top tier dr.

[LearnAll]

There is no rule that you need to check PSA every so and so months. It is basically individuals preference and financial resources.

I keep track of PSA, ALP, CRP ,CBC and CMP etc. every 30 days to know any evolving trend and for sake of record. It gives me peace of mind and it works for me like an early warning system.

If your dad wants to check PSA every month and has resources to do it..let him do it. There is no harm.

[Tall_Allen]

Could you please fill in a profile for your father, so we understand his current situation? Answers may differ depending on the patient's situation.

At this point in his therapy, most patients track it every 3 months to see if the last therapy is starting to fail and it's time to try another one. If his PSA has been low for a while, there is no need to get monthly tests - it only creates anxiety. I assume he is not yet castration-resistant. Has he had docetaxel, or advanced hormone therapies?

[chocolatelover_123 in reply to Tall_Allen]

I just filled out my bio. He is on zytiga now along with zoladex injections, and has not had docetaxel.

[Tall_Allen in reply to chocolatelover_123]

Thanks! I can't imagine why he is having monthly PSAs with numbers like those.

[GoBucks]

Depends on what blood work you mean. I have a CMP every month. I have a CBC & PSA every 3 months. I check Vitamin D once a year.

[tango65]

Every month may be done in people who have or have had a very fast PSADT ( 3 months or less).

[leo2634]

I go once a month the week before I see my Doctor.

[EdBar]

I get labs once a month before seeing my doctor or these days having a Telehealth appointment. I don’t get anxiety from them, I’d rather know ASAP if anything is changing so I can plot the course of the next move to make.

Recently I stopped taking Xtandi at the advice of my PCa MO due to cumulative effects, I’ve been taking it for a few years now. I’m still receiving Lupron shots. Within a couple of months my PSA which was undetectable for quite a while became detectable again, so I restarted Xtandi. Now I’m back to undetectable.

I’d rather know right away instead of letting PCa get a foothold, I want to keep it in a dormant stage.

Ed

[Hidden]

For three years I was on monthly PSA and Plus other markers. Then a years of bimonthly before quarterly. I have over 120 tests...... I found that I never feared the result as it became routine,

GD

[KJMinPhx]

Mayo tested me monthly for the first year, mainly to watch for side effects from the Zytiga + p and Lupron. After a year, they have me testing every three months. Their test for PSA reads “<0.1” which Mayo calls negligible. I remain hormone sensitive and I’m happy for it to stay that way. I don’t need to know every month. From what I understand, a delay of a few months makes no real difference.