My internist did it again.

[dentaltwin]

MSKCC has never done an ultrasensitive PSA on me, and just last month they again returned a PSA <.05. But my internist decided to run an ultrasensitive PSA on my last week, and it came back 0.04. I assume with good postop path (my RP was 4 years ago) there was really no reason to run ANY PSA anyway, but he did it (a few other concerning lab numbers as well). Pretty sure the consensus is that this SHOULD be of no concern to me, but then I'm a worrier.

Yeah, I'm not so thrilled by my internist.

Rant over.

[londoncyclist48]

I'm no expert but I read somewhere that zero PSA may be impossible because even healthy prostate tissue will throw off a PSA reading into the blood. Anything under 0.1 is considered negligible and anything under 0.05 is considered practically zero. Also, as you point out, depending which machine you test it on, you will get different readings. I'm currently 0.06.

[dentaltwin in reply to londoncyclist48]

Of course, post RP I shouldn't have any prostate tissue, healthy or otherwise. BTW, in the process of looking for a new ride--my primary bike is still my Olmo, which I built up in 1983.

[Tall_Allen]

Stoopid internist! But I think you know the answer - ignore it.

[dentaltwin in reply to Tall_Allen]

I suppose. And he did this to me a year or so ago--ran a PSA that was read as 0.1 rather than <0.1, prompting a return to MSK for a reading (which was <0.05). My middle name is actually "worrywart".

Thanks,

Steve

[WilsonPickett in reply to dentaltwin]

maybe your middle name should be, new internist.

[Yearofthecow]

what I do is when I am getting my blood drawn, that is when I confirm or reconfirm the right test(s) have been ordered

[dentaltwin]

Now you tell me!

The only test I had requested was a blood level of a medication I'm on (requested by another physician). The lab did the assay on my urine. Duh(!) Don't know if the wrong test was ordered, or the lab did the wrong test.

There were other abnormalities in the blood tests, so I've already had some re-done. I don't ordinarily tell the doctor which tests to run, but over the past year or so they've been all over the place, making me wonder just how accurate they are.