What Does Rise In PSA Level Indicate?

Posted on Tue, 1 Apr 2014

Question: I'm a 63 year old male. From 2001 to 2009 my psa measured at 0.4. From 2009 to 2013 it measured 0.6. At my physical this week my internist noticed a small (less than 5mm) very soft spot on my prostate. Probably because I am a hypochondriac, he had me see a Urologist who felt the same soft spot. He was not alarmed, as he said the prostate felt normal. He indicated the small soft spot might be caused by a little scar tissue, BPH, etc. Since my appointment, I received the psa test result from blood taken the other day by my internist. It came in at 0.9, up slightly from before. The Urologist is out of town and unavailable. I'm also leaving for a month's vacation this weekend. In your judgement do you think this slightly higher psa is of concern, or just the natural rise with age and some bph. Thanks for your help.

Answered by Dr. Naveen Poola (2 hours later)

Brief Answer: Small rise of PSA is not significant Detailed Answer: Hello, Thank You for consulting HealthcareMagic. PSA is a kind of test which is not very useful in diagnosing Prostate Cancer. In your case, it is under normal levels. So, need not have to worry. This kind of a VERY SMALL rise of PSA is not significant and need not have to worry about these levels. However, I cannot comment on the spot like thing as I did not do physical examination. Stay healthy and thank you for consulting! You can contact me again anytime, if you need clarifications or further assistance in future. Kindly rate the answer if you are satisfied. Regards,

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T