Cancer Screening

[Gadget Geek]

To all the gentlemen on this thread, just be aware that the Prostate Specific Antigen test is an indicator, not a definitive test for prostate cancer. If symptoms persist, please also persist and get it fully checked out (i.e, a finger up the bum [preferably by a qualified physician], and an MRI scan).

Edit: 66 years and counting.

 

[Archev]

Archev here (still) at 76. (1949)

I see Ozzy has just left at 76 for the great recording studio elsewhere

 

[Alb]

Considering how he spent his younger days, 76 was a bit of a miracle!

 

[securespark]

Yes, he had more lives than a cat!

 

[Gadget Geek]

RIP the legend.

 

[securespark]

I am always very grateful for the health I still have!

Yes, in my 30s I used to count the bits of me that were broken, but now it's quicker to count bits that are left that still work...

Sad but true.

 

[johnb80]

To all the gentlemen on this thread, just be aware that the Prostate Specific Antigen test is an indicator, not a definitive test for prostate cancer. If symptoms persist, please also persist and get it fully checked out (i.e, a finger up the bum [preferably by a qualified physician], and an MRI scan).

A very good point, well raised. Heres some of the info about the PSA test:-

False Positives:
Around 6-7% of men experience a false-positive PSA test result, meaning the test suggests cancer is present when it's not.

False Negatives:
The PSA test may miss about 15% of prostate cancers, meaning some men with cancer will have a "normal" PSA level.

Not Definitive:
The PSA test is a screening tool, not a diagnostic one. It can indicate a potential problem, but further tests like a biopsy are needed to confirm a cancer diagnosis.

Not Perfect:
While the PSA test is widely used, it's not the only or most accurate way to diagnose prostate cancer. Combining the PSA test with a digital rectal exam (DRE) is often recommended as it can improve accuracy.

Factors Affecting Accuracy:
Certain factors can affect PSA levels, including age, prostate size, infections, and even medications. For example, some medications used to treat an enlarged prostate can lower PSA levels.

Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment:
Because of the potential for false positives, PSA testing can lead to unnecessary biopsies and treatments for slow-growing cancers that may not have caused any harm during the man's lifetime.

It's true to say, 80% of men die with Prostate cancer, NOT of prostate cancer.

 

[securespark]

It's true to say, 80% of men die with Prostate cancer, NOT of prostate cancer

My eldest went to see Dr Dre once. I asked him how it went. He said it was fantastic.

"Fantastic?" I said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you said Dr DRE..."

But joking aside, it's very true the last thing you said.

Someone I know had an extremely high reading, was diagnosed with prostate cancer, then given a hormone to bring the reading down. After two courses of treatment, he now has the lowest possible PSA reading. He is not cancer free, but will assuredly not die of it.

 

[MG Clive]

To all the gentlemen on this thread, just be aware that the Prostate Specific Antigen test is an indicator, not a definitive test for prostate cancer. If symptoms persist, please also persist and get it fully checked out (i.e, a finger up the bum [preferably by a qualified physician], and an MRI scan).

Edit: 66 years and counting.

Exactly, this is why we don't have routine testing like we do for bowel cancer, the PSA test isn't a definitive test, we always need to be on our guard.

 

[Gadget Geek]

I am very familiar with prostate cancer staging. As I was the lead radiographer for the MRI scanner at Weston General Hospital, it was my job to set up, test, and teach the scanning protocol. It was very sensitive and very successful.

 

[Alb]

MRI was the game changer.
You really don't want to do a prostate biopsy unless it is absolutely necessary. MRI provides the evidence for that justification and tells you which areas to target.

 

[maskull]

MRI was the game changer.
You really don't want to do a prostate biopsy unless it is absolutely necessary. MRI provides the evidence for that justification and tells you which areas to target.

I didn't find the biopsy too distressing, embarrassing maybe . The route I had was PSA test,biopsy and MRI and pet scan .
The MRI was the worst for me ,being claustrophobic

 

[Gadget Geek]

I didn't find the biopsy too distressing, embarrassing maybe . The route I had was PSA test,biopsy and MRI and pet scan .
The MRI was the worst for me ,being claustrophobic

I've got to ask, did they put you in the scanner head first?

 

[Archev]

We are many and getting older ... hopefully

All I can say is that when I’m moved on from my current designation and become an extinguished member I’ll probably not post as much nonsense - probably -

 

[maskull]

I've got to ask, did they put you in the scanner head first?

I'm afraid so . Wasn't as bad as the last MRI I had though for a spinal injury . On that one put me in head first but I couldn't handle it so they let me go in feet first because it was the lower back

 

[Gadget Geek]

I'm afraid so . Wasn't as bad as the last MRI I had though for a spinal injury . On that one put me in head first but I couldn't handle it so they let me go in feet first because it was the lower back

There is no excuse for putting pelvic and abdominal examinations in head first. In my scanner, anything below the diaphragm went in feet first. And for really claustrophobic patients, they could lie on their front and look out of the scanner.

 

[Fluffykins]

I'm in a similar boat, though with a twist or two.

I went to the Doc's in March, with persistent, non-muscular back pain. Doc prodded and poked, couldn't find anything obvious. She ordered bloods, wee and an FIT, oh, plus an ultrasound.

In the meantime the back pain resolved itself as Shingles. Lovely.

Most action the GP had requested then happened, after the shingles had subsided.

Wee and FIT came back positive for micro haematuria. Cue a colonoscopy. And a cystoscopy (camera up the dick. Very, very, very uncomfortable). Oh, and a prostate examination (and I swear blind she took a run up for that, to make sure she got her finger far enough in )

The ultrasound appointment came through a while later. That showed no obvious cause for back pain concern (which had almost certainly been the start of shingles)

What it did show though, was a growth on one kidney, but not clearly enough to say more. Cue a fast track CT scan. That confirmed a growth on one kidney, with more detail. Plus a growth on the other. A matching pair. Oh, and a couple of nodules in the lungs for good measure.

Cue a kidney biopsy (they could only do one side - the other was too awkward to reach safely with a biopsy needle.)

The colonoscopy showed two polyps, one small, one large. The small one was removed 'while you wait'. The bigger one was trickier and I'm currently waiting on a flexible Sigmoidoscopy to take that out.

The kidney biopsy result came back. The growths have been determined as being very likely benign, with just a CT scan in a few months as a follow-up.

The wee and FIT micro haematuria seem to have resolved themselves, which is nice.

I've also had another CT scan for the lung nodules, which are likely just down to scarring. We shall see.

And all that stuff I'd never have known about had I not had shingles (which I can, by the bye, confirm is bloody unpleasant).

It's been a busy few months.

 

[Fluffykins]

There is no excuse for putting pelvic and abdominal examinations in head first. In my scanner, anything below the diaphragm went in feet first. And for really claustrophobic patients, they could lie on their front and look out of the scanner.

I'm not overly concerned which way I go in. I normally close my eyes though. MY darkness is nicer than the gloom of THEIR tube.

I would make one observation though. You are making there with the machine going buzzz, buzzz, buzzz, buzzz, buzzz, buzzz, buzzz.

Whilst it's a bit loud, it's also slightly hypnotic and I did almost find myself dozing.

What noone warned me about was that it'd change tone. Not mildly. It went buzzz, buzzz, buzzz, buzzz, buzzz, BUUUZZZZT.

Rather startling, to put it mildly and enough to make someone on the point of dozing, jerk up. Which you can't do in an MRI scanner. I suggested they might like to warn people.

 

[maskull]

There is no excuse for putting pelvic and abdominal examinations in head first. In my scanner, anything below the diaphragm went in feet first. And for really claustrophobic patients, they could lie on their front and look out of the scanner.

Didn't mind the MRI second time . I just closed my eyes and imagined I was at a gig listening to a thrash metal concerto. Sort of relaxed me in an odd way

 

[Rolfe]

Do these poor posties realise what they’re carting around the country half the time ?

Before I retired I worked in veterinary laboratory diagnostics. You have absolutely no idea.