my friends my habits my familythey mean so much to me. modest mouse
Well…I see patients all the time who have had an elevated PSA in the past and their family M.D. put them on 2 weeks of Cipro and then had the PSA repeated. Often times the PSA will go to normal and the family M.D. will then repeat a PSA at say 6 months. Often times it is elevated again and then the patient is sent to the urologist. This scenario happened this morning in my office. The patient wanted to do antibiotics again and then repeat the PSA again before consenting to a biopsy. A reasonable approach. We redrew the PSA. His father, a doctor, told him not to consent to a biopsy and this was the patient’s mindset before I saw him as a patient. What we will do in terms recommendations will be heavily influenced by this patient’s preconceived ideas.
My PSA was high and I did a two-week course of Cipro and my PSA went down. I was very pleased. I repeated a PSA 6 months later and the PSA was back up. I did a free PSA and the free % was low and I did the biopsy. The biopsy showed 3 areas of Gleason’s 6 and 7.
Was my elevated PSA on the basis of BPH (enlarged prostate) or cancer? I don’t know.
What did it mean that my PSA went down with an antibiotic? I don’t know.
Is it a bad idea to do a course of antibiotics and then repeat an abnormal PSA? Probably not.
If the PSA goes down after antibiotics does that mean I don’t have cancer? No.
Why do doctors give antibiotics for an elevated PSA? Thinking that a subclinical prostatitis is causing inflammation and that this is the reason for the elevated PSA.
Summary: No harm in trying antibiotics and repeating an abnormal PSA. The key is to maintain follow-up on any abnormal PSA and monitor the trend. It is important that the patient have good understanding of what you are trying to do by repeating values in the hopes of it reverting to normal and that a biopsy not be done.
The problem: Since there are so many variables about prostate cancer in terms of the rectal exam and PSA the only definitive way to know is to do a prostate biopsy. Whether this is done or not depends (usually) more on the mindset of the patient (anxious will want to biopsy-a hesitant type will drag his feet) more than the recommendation of the doctor. Trust me on this…it is more about the patient than the doctor that guides decisions in prostate cancer.theprostatedecision.wordpress.com
The majority of men will develop an enlarged prostate sometime in their lifetime. The symptoms include: difficulting in starting urination, weak flow of urination, need to urinate frequently.
Men that suffer from these symptoms should seek medical advice to ensure that it only an enlarged prostate that is causing the problem, and not prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the second largest cause of cancer deaths among men, second only to lung cancer. One of the problems with prostate cancer, is that the symptoms typically do not show up in the early stages of the disease, and when they do manifest themselves, it is often in the late stages of the disease and makes it difficult to treat.
The main symptoms of prostate cancer include the same symptoms as an enlarged prostate, but the advanced stages also include: Pain in back, hips and thighs; unexplained weight loss; feeling of tiredness.
Most prostate cancers are treated by surgery or radiation therapy. At the present time, there is not a good chemotherapy option for the early stages of prostate cancer. Surgery is the most common method of treating the early stages of prostate cancer. But there are risks with any type of surgery, and many men are turning to radiation treatment.
Radiation therapy works by killing the cancer cells and not killing the adjacent healthy cells. The two most common methods for radiation therapy include seed therapy and external beam radiation therapy.
Seed therapy involves implanting a small amount (a seed) of radioactive material in the prostate. The radioactive material will last about two years, in which time the cancerous cells have been killed.
External Beam radiation therapy is a painless, out patient procedure where a beam is aimed at the affected areas. If the area has spread, the radiation can be aimed at it as well. The treatment takes place five days a week over a seven week period.
The side effects of prostrate cancer radiation treatment include incontinence, impotence, and fatigue. Not all patients suffer from these side effects.
Treatment for the early stages of prostate cancer is usually successful. However, if the prostate cancer is not identified in its early stages, then the success rate drops dramatically. This is why all men over the age of 50 should have a yearly check up to identify prostrate cancer early. lungcancertreatment.blognub.com
American Medical Systems® (AMS) (NASDAQ: AMMD), a leading provider of world-class devices and therapies for male and female pelvic health, announced it has received clearance from the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) to market and distribute its GreenLight HPS® laser therapy system for the treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), or enlarged prostate, in Japan www.medicalnewstoday.com
You can link to this article on your web site using following code:
Website Code:
Forum Code:
Comments
We're looking for comments that are interesting, substantial or highly amusing. If your comments are excessively self-promotional (use your real name, no keywords please), obnoxious, or even worse, boring, you will be banned from commenting. Your comment must be related to the post. Please do not comment on how great or wonderful the post is. All comments are moderated and, if approved, will display in less than 24 hours.
