concerned family man

[Genesis121]

On 4/22 I had a PSA test done,came back 37,come to find out my prostate was enlarged.After my doctor gave me an antibiotic to take for 2 weeks my PSA went down to 10. Then I was referred to a urologist were he then examined me to find my prostrate had gone down. I went to the urologist on 6/26 for another PSA test and my level went up to 11and now he wants me to have a biopsy done, can't stop thinking about what maybe wrong to cause my PSA to go up and down.

[Darryl Partner]

Please tell us how old you are

[Genesis121 in reply to Darryl]

42 yrs old

[Roger2Dodger]

It's possible you have an enlarged benign prostate. However, It's also possible you have PCa. AND the only oway to fine that out is have a biopsy.

.At your age my recommendation is to have one. It is more common in older men with enlarged prostate.

G'luck

[Genesis121 in reply to Roger2Dodger]

What is PCa?

[Roger2Dodger]

PROSTATE CANCER

[AlanMeyer Moderator]

Genesis,

The most likely explanation of your problem is prostatitis, i.e., inflammation of the prostate caused (in your case) by a bacterial infection. The big decline in PSA and the shrinking of the prostate after taking the antibiotic would seem to indicate that the problem was bacterial. Also, age 42 is young to get PCa, although it's not unheard of.

Unfortunately, medicine is not an exact science. You could get a prostate biopsy. It's pretty safe, but not 100%. For example, a new infection is possible.

I suggest getting a second opinion before you do anything. PSA of 37 sounds dangerous, and would be very dangerous if it weren't due to infection. But clearly it was due to infection. If it was due to cancer, your PSA would have not been affected by the antibiotic.

If you live near a teaching and research hospital, that's not a bad place to get a second opinion. If you live in the U.S., here's a list of hospitals recommended by the National Cancer Institute: cancer.gov/research/nci-rol...

Best of luck.

Alan

[James789 in reply to AlanMeyer]

my urologist told me he operated on a 13 year old boy for PC

[Hidden in reply to James789]

Poor child, that's horrible..When I hear that I can not complain.. Wow...

[cpcohen]

FWIW --

a) It's possible that the two-week course of antibiotics hasn't eliminated your infection. [As previous posts say, we _know_ you had an infected prostate.]

b) It's possible that the increase from 10 to 11 is caused by a still-active infection, recovering from being hit with antibiotics.

c) There are two things that might be worth doing, _before_ you have a prostate biopsy:

. . . 1. Have a longer course of antibiotics -- or a different antibiotic -- in an attempt

. . . . to kill the infection, not just control it.

. . . 2. Rather than a biopsy, go for a 3-tesla (= high-resolution) multi-parametric prostate MRI.

The MRI has been shown to catch the vast majority of prostate cancers as "suspicious areas", which can be biopsied to determine if they're PCa or not. It's non-invasive. It may cost you money.

. Charles

[Vitruviusman]

Wait for the biopse

[aquaeyes5]

All of the above is very good advise. The one thing you do not want to do, is ignore it! Obviously there is/was some kind of infection going on, however.....part of the $1,000 question is why?? You are VERY young for PCa....but don't let that lull you into a sense of security. My husband was diagnosed at 46, and his doctor states he had active disease for at least 10 years. I am only saying this, because this disease is very treatable, and getting to it early is so very important. The chances you have cancer are probably minimal, but it's what we DON'T KNOW that causes all the problems. I wish you the all best....and try and stay positive.

[ng27868168]

In my humble opinion you need to have the biopsy. At the young age you are now, if it turns out you have Prostate Cancer, more than likely it is of the aggressive kind which tends to grow much faster the younger one is. The biopsy is the MOST minor procedure you will incur if indeed it is PCa. As a facilitator for our local PCa Support Group, I have seen more than a few men who have hesitated to get this checked out only to find out later than sooner that proper treatment of PCa would have been and should have been taken on. PCa is not like a cold, it's not going away and once it is out of the Prostate Gland, especially at your age, it's a whole different and worse ballgame. Don't want to scare you but.........., doing nothing is a poor option. Good luck.

[Uxp_d]

All good advice! you have to act as soon as possible.