Is there a Psma blood test?

[Teddy28]

I have had 2 psma scans over the past few years, along with an Axumin scan. None have identified any cancer yet my PSA is still increasing. I know that some percentage of prostate cancers do not express PSMA. Is there a test to find out if I have PSMA, perhaps a blood or urine test? I would like to know before I get another PSMA scan..

[Tall_Allen]

Not that I know of. If you have a tumor, you can stain for PSMA, How high is your PSA and what is your PSADT?

[Teddy28 in reply to Tall_Allen]

TA - My PSA is 4, doubling time is 18 months using 12 months of data. It's recently decreased from 21 months. Both my oncologists say I can wait for ADT, and suggest I wait for Pylarify to be approved by Medicare and then have that scan. I was wondering if the Ga PSMA scan had been approved by Medicare - do you know? I was going to use that time frame as an estimate for when Pylarify might be approved. I am post prostatectomy (2013) and post IGRT. I still prefer to stall Lupron if possible, and thought one more scan would be worth doing if I can irradiate an identified spot.

[Tall_Allen in reply to Teddy28]

As of last week, Medicare had not yet approved it, but I heard some insurance have.

[Teddy28 in reply to Tall_Allen]

TA - I assume you are referring to the Gallium PSMA - is that correct?

[Tall_Allen in reply to Teddy28]

Yes -at UCLA and UCSF

[Teddy28 in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks TA. I am disappointed Medicare approval takes so long.