Prostate Cancer???

Question

My dad is 84 Years old and He recently had a routine blood work and I had the results. Can you halp me to understand it?

Results(Written by doctor Genreal doctor)

84 y/o male no regular medical f/u with elevated PSA noted on recent routine blood work (PSA= 14.99). On P.E. prostate enlarged 1 1/2 X's firm non-tender & nodules Pt denies SX's of hesitancy frequency.

An urologist made a rectal test and said he probably has prostate cancer but that dosn't not matter anymore because he is 84. I'm not happy with that and i would like to have different opinions about it. This doctor told my dad to take DOXAZOSIN 2 Mg about six weeks.


Does this indicate cancer symptoms??
Is it a good idea to do a surgery?

Answer 1

As a urologist, I note you are not happy with the information and recommendations you have received from the physicians for your father thus far, but it appears you were not with him when he had his appointments. What did they tell him, what did they advise him to do?

The previous answers to your question are generally correct, but you should understand that the only way a physician can truly make a diagnosis of cancer is by obtaining a sample of the tissue in question and having it processed by a pathologist, who is a physician who has specialized in the diagnosis of disease by its appearance under microscopic magnification.

A prostate biopsy is an office procedure, mine was painless, and the procedure takes only a short time, and local anesthesia is all that is necessary. In general, there is a low risk for complications, but nothing is free of risk.

That said, with a PSA of 15 (upper limit probably 6) and a firm, non-tender, nodular prostate which is enlarged one and a half times normal, is strong clinical evidence for prostate cancer.

So, assuming your father does have cancer of the prostate, it is not causing him serious problems it appears, from the standpoint of blocking the flow of urine from the bladder.

Remember that the prostate surrounds the opening of the bladder in men and contributes to the semen when a man ejaculates. Therefore, blockage of urinary flow is a common local symptom of prostatic cancer. The Family Physician prescribed Doxazosin because he suspected there was probably some obstruction occurring.

Treatment of prostatic cancer is an individualized decision that is based on a thorough medical history, phsical examination, appropriately chosen laboratory, x-ray, and other tests usually including a cystoscopy to ascertain what else is going on in the lower urinary tract of the patient.

A urologist, who is a trained surgical specialist in the surgical and non-surgical modes of treatment of cancers of the urinary tract and the reproductive tract is most qualified specialist to render an opinion as to the appropriate treatment of a case of prostate cancer.

Many factors are involved, but some of the most important ones are the general health of the indivudal, his general life expectancy, what other illnesses or conditions are present and once the patient has appropriate information from his physician, WHAT THE PATIENT WANTS FOR HIMSELF in terms of treatment.

Prostate cancer, like breast cancer in women, is usually responsive to hormonal treatment in that blocking or removing testosterone from the patient will slow the growth of the cancer; response can't be predicted with certainty, but hormonal blockade can produce dramatic improvement in the size of the cancer, and slow the progression of the disease.

But, talk to your father and see if he wishes to pursue this situation in regard to diagnosis and treatment, he may have indicated to the physicians that if it ain't broke, don't fix it approach was his choice. If so, then follow-up visits to see if there was progression of problems from the cancer would have been recommended.

This is an example of where the art of the practice of medicine can be as important as the science of medicine. If your father were seen by a fourth-year medical student, probably all available tests and procedures would have been strongly considered. But everything depends on what is appropriate in each patient. Sometimes a patient just does not want to go through all that if they are not having significant problems.

Hopefully, this information will be of assistance to you.

Answer 2

OK listen the term CANCER usually strikes fear in to the common persons heart and so they believe the worst. This should not be the case with prostate cancer as most are not aggressive at all and aggressive treatments are not necessary. Some people are "waiting" to see if there cancer shows signs of futility. Once cancer has spread it is just like any other cancer however some forms of cancer don't spread quickly especially certain types of prostate cancer.

There is no doubt your father has cancer and elevated PSA could mean anything but an enlarged prostate + elevated PSA most definitely means he has cancer. However he may live another 3 to 4 years before he needs to have any serious medical care. I am not a doctor but I research med cal topics spontaneously and this was one of the. He could live another 10 years but as long as you love him he will live forever in you?

GOD BLESS

Answer 3

Prostate cancer is very common especially among elderlies. If you did an autopsy on every 80 year old, 80% of them would have cancer cells in their prostate. 100 year olds: 100%.
It's not always possible to diagnose prostate cancer just by the PSA level. To diagnose, you need a biopsy, which involves sticking a needle up the rectum and getting a piece of the prostate. Treatment for prostate cancer would depend on various factors. Extent of spread, symptoms, age and other comorbidities. Surgery is an option, so is chemo and radiotherapy. Doxazosin is not a chemotherapeutic agent for the cancer. It is actually a blood pressure tablet which can also be used for prostatism (urinary problems (such as urge, frequency, pain) due to enlarged prostate.
By the way, PSA stands for prostate specific antigen and it can be elevated if you have prostate cancer or prostatitis.
PE: physical examination. f/u: follow up. SX: symptoms.

Answer 4

Enlarged firm prostate with PSA above 10 and clinical symptoms is very suggestive of prostate cancer. If he in deed has a cancer, it must be small in size because it’s not giving him any symptoms of urinary obstruction like hesitancy or frequency. It usually takes years for a tumor to grow enough and cause obstruction. Given the case that your Father is 85 yo, the Dr. probably wants to maintain him stable and symptom free with medications that help reduce the size of the tumor (for 10 years or so ) instead of doing a major surgery.

Answer 5

A dear friend of mine was just diagnosed with Prostate Cancer at the age of 57. His PSA was 4, he has cancer on both sides of his prostate. He was told that because he is so young, they need to remove it. They told him that when you are older, they do not like to do such radical surgery because chances are that it will never advance quickly enough in your lifetime to really affect you. I recommend an appointment with an Oncologist who will explain everything to you. My friend was told to see a Urologist, Oncologist and Surgeon so he could get other opinions and therefore weigh his options. If you are not happy with the opinion of the Urologist, see another one. I lost my Mother 2 years ago to cancer and went to the ends of the earth to find alternative medicines to help her. I have since done a lot of research because my Father is very interested in cancer prevention and I want to keep him around for a very long time!
I wish you the very best.

Answer 6

there are two types of prostate cancer one moves slow and one is aggressive he most likely has the slow kind and will die from other causes before the prostate cancer gets him sorry. the psa is a crude and rough test but if it rises it should be watched if youre still worried see a good urologist and consider the radioactive seeds for your dad theyre minimally invasive.

youre in what they call watchful waiting.

Answer 7

May indicate CA symptoms, but get him to an Oncologist, asking his doctor for a referrral. If not, you are certainly within your rights to take your dad to another dr. for a second or even third opinion.
I would.
It's not a good idea to "wait and see", especially at your dad's age.

Answer 8

Here is a site of some people who had cancer of various types. Read their stories of what helped them.

www.viabenefits.com

Let me know if it helps?

Answer 9

the medication is a cancer drug but if u aint happy ask to be referred else where the doc didnt sound very helpful hun

Answer 10

15 is darn high. everybody get prostate cancer eventualy but nobody dies from it. drink water and eat powdered saw palmetto