For a man with known recurrence, doubling time might be used to determine when to start life-long HT - so, for example, my dad's PSA's doubling time is about 4 years so he is not having HT because it would be about 20 years before the cancer was active enough to kill him (by which time he would be over 100). For a man who is incurable and is on HT, doubling time would be used to pinpoint when the HT starts to fail and when to introduce another HT or chemo or whatever. Generally speaking, a doubling time of 6 months is a concern and a doubling time of 6 weeks is very worrying.
However, a doubling time of 4 months isn't good or bad in your current situation as you don't know you have a recurrence. PSA could be rising because you have had a recent increase in testosterone production, because you have a bit of a UTI perhaps. Small amounts of 'healthy' PSA can be produced in the liver, pancreas, adrenal gland, salivary ducts and breast.
For the last few years, John's PSA for most of the year sits at <0.1 but in September each year can rise to 0.1 / 0.11 - we assume this is 'healthy' or non-cancer related PSA caused by the increased cycling, red wine drinking and cheese eating of our 6 week trips to France. We can't calculate the doubling time because his January <0.1 could be 0.0001 or 0.0999 - there is no way of knowing. We are certainly not in recurrence territory although I accept that at some point in the future, we might be.
"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard
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Thanks, Lyn. At this stage, all I want is answers, and until I get to sit with my Oncologist, I won't have any. It's doing my head in.
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Unbelievable news. My GP repeated the PSA test and it came back as undetectable, >0.025. The hospital is using the Abbott Method to report the results. >0.025 is now the lowest possible result.
Gp will repeat psa test monthly for next three months for reassurance.
Thank you all for your support.
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Fantastic! So happy to read it Ulsterman!
Great news!
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Best news ever, so pleased for you. Also gives encouragement to other Gleason 9 tb3 lads. David was diagnosed in 2015, he’s <0.1 stage 4 though he is on HT. Today is a good day.
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That's good to hear and obviously a relief, and it's a sunny day. Your GP is a very good person doing a test every month for 3 months for re-assurance.
My theory is that hospitals test to 0.006 because they have doctors who want to push the tech, whereas other hospitals want to keep the peace until the vast majority of cases need monitoring e.g. 0.1. Others do a compromise which gives a good trend history.
As it's a leap year you might go for the 29th Feb. All the best Peter
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Excellent news Ulsterman. Must come as such a relief.
Best of luck going forward.
Cheers
Bill
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UM , great news, also sounds like you have a great GP.
Thanks Chris
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More good news. I have now had a second PSA test after my questionable one in January. It has come back as <0.025 undetectable.
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Great new Ulsterman, onwards and downwards😊
Derek
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UM , great news.
Thanks Chris
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👍Always good to see the < sign
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Good news.
Just wondering if the raised test corresponded with having had COVID in the previous month (which is a known issue), or a COVID vaccination, which has come up in many support groups?
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Andy, I actually did have Covid just after Christmas, so maybe there is a connection.
The hospital also bought a new machine, so I think that might be the issue.
Goes to show though, these tests are not always correct.