How often do you get prostate exams?

[kilo7]

My endo told me to get an exam even though I started with the injections just 2 months ago.
He said it would be important to get a "start measurement".

Now I wonder what if my prostate should get bigger under TRT would this mean I have to stop it?

 

[Mprtz]

I'm over 50 and I've never had one. There have been recent studies that really call into question the diagnostic value of the DRE.
Intuitively, I don't see what kind of "measurement" some doctor can make by sticking his finger up my ass. A general subjective judgment regarding size and possibly surface hardness is probably the best case result.

Your PSA is probably already going to be obsessively monitored, that will probably tell more then the DRE.

Anectdotally, my prostate feels better post-TRT and my PSA has remained the same through two years of treatment.

 

[unkazra1]

I get them from my old lady all the time

 

[halfwit]

I'm over 50 and I've never had one. There have been recent studies that really call into question the diagnostic value of the DRE.
Intuitively, I don't see what kind of "measurement" some doctor can make by sticking his finger up my ass. A general subjective judgment regarding size and possibly surface hardness is probably the best case result.

Your PSA is probably already going to be obsessively monitored, that will probably tell more then the DRE.

Anectdotally, my prostate feels better post-TRT and my PSA has remained the same through two years of treatment.

Yup, they're trying to phase out the DRE as it doesn't really have a quantifiable value. It's being moved to a secondary test if one's PSA comes back abnormally high. I still have a hard time believing that they want to jam a finger in your ass, but not check estradiol in many cases. Estradiol is what messes with the prostate, so it would make sense to me that prevention would be key - but there's far less money in that side of healthcare. D'oh!

I get them from my old lady all the time

I did ask the doc one time if he was going to take me out for dinner afterwards. My sense of humor wasn't appreciated.

That count? Lol

 

[unkazra1]

I did ask the doc one time if he was going to take me out for dinner afterwards. My sense of humor wasn't appreciated.
That count? Lol

My doctor lit up a smoke, then jumped on the examination table and went to sleep...after my prostate exam. I wonder why ???

 

[halfwit]

My doctor lit up a smoke, then jumped on the examination table and went to sleep...after my prostate exam. I wonder why ???

As long as he didn't have both hands on your hips during the procedure, I think he just got the sleepies.

 

[willnorthwest]

when i first started trt, the doc gave me the prostate finger test, but since then i just get the PSA test done on my labs.

 

[kilo7]

The finger exam is probably not that good but what about ultrasound? There you can also measure the size of the prostate.

Is an ultrasound not standard procedure?!

How does the PSA work? I once had my PSA measured. If the PSA should go up then would this be an alarm sign? WOuld you then have to
stop TRT?

 

[Mprtz]

The finger exam is probably not that good but what about ultrasound? There you can also measure the size of the prostate.

Is an ultrasound not standard procedure?!

How does the PSA work? I once had my PSA measured. If the PSA should go up then would this be an alarm sign? WOuld you then have to
stop TRT?

Complicated subject, short answer is PSA refers to Prostate Specific Antigen and is produced by prostate tissue. A slow rise in PSA in the aging male is pretty normal, as it generally mirrors prostate volume in the absence of cancer.

Prostate cancer tends to make this number rise exponentially, doubling in a more or less constant time interval (depending on how agressive the cancer is). PSA can go into the tens of thousands in untreated prostate cancer before you die of the cancer.

A rising PSA is cause for concern. Depending on the rate of rise and level, doctor may want to do a biopsy to determine if there is cancer and how agressive it is. Biopsy carries significant risk and I wouldn't roll over for it without careful consideration.

Doctors used to (and many still do) believe that testosterone causes or at least accelerates prostate cancer, so many (most) will take you off TRT.

The science is much less clear on this, something you should educate yourself on should the need arise.

 

[Alpin]

Yup, they're trying to phase out the DRE as it doesn't really have a quantifiable value. It's being moved to a secondary test if one's PSA comes back abnormally high. I still have a hard time believing that they want to jam a finger in your ass, but not check estradiol in many cases. Estradiol is what messes with the prostate, so it would make sense to me that prevention would be key - but there's far less money in that side of healthcare. D'oh!



I did ask the doc one time if he was going to take me out for dinner afterwards. My sense of humor wasn't appreciated.

That count? Lol

Can a estradiol level of 40-60 pg/ml on a regular assay be aggravating to the prostate ?
after reading on sensitive assays on this board from other members experience. ...
most of us stuck with the regular assay are in question. .

 

[halfwit]

Can a estradiol level of 40-60 pg/ml on a regular assay be aggravating to the prostate ?
after reading on sensitive assays on this board from other members experience. ...
most of us stuck with the regular assay are in question. .

Hard one to answer brother. Estradiol affects us all differently; I've had an E2 high enough that I should have sprouted a pair of C cups, but only had mild edema and elevated bp. I definitely think getting a PSA done is worth it on a yearly basis though.

 

[Mprtz]

Can a estradiol level of 40-60 pg/ml on a regular assay be aggravating to the prostate ?
after reading on sensitive assays on this board from other members experience. ...
most of us stuck with the regular assay are in question. .

Personal experience, I would say yes.

 

[IMT staff]

over 50 should be once every 2 years. After 50 the PSA test is no longer a reliable marker for prostate cancer.

 

[Mprtz]

over 50 should be once every 2 years. After 50 the PSA test is no longer a reliable marker for prostate cancer.

Care to elaborate on this or do you maybe have a reference?

 

[IMT staff]

on which part? the every 2 years? or the PSA not being reliable after 50?

Honestly its not that accurate ever really, half the men that develop prostate cancer have normal PSA levels.

But once over 50 its terribly inaccurate. I think it has to do with low T levels. If you notice the large scale study that was done in 2012 studying the correlation between T levels and prostate cancer, not only did they conclude that T therapy did not expedite growth, it actually helped in early detection of prostate cancer.

 

[IMT staff]

EACH year some 30 million American men undergo testing for prostate-specific antigen, an enzyme made by the prostate. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1994, the P.S.A. test is the most commonly used tool for detecting prostate cancer.

The tests popularity has led to a hugely expensive public health disaster. Its an issue I am painfully familiar with I discovered P.S.A. in 1970.

Prostate cancer may get a lot of press, but consider the numbers: American men have a 16 percent lifetime chance of receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer, but only a 3 percent chance of dying from it. Thats because the majority of prostate cancers grow slowly. In other words, men lucky enough to reach old age are much more likely to die with prostate cancer than to die of it. Even then, the test is hardly more effective than a coin toss. As Ive been trying to make clear for many years now, P.S.A. testing cant detect prostate cancer and, more important, it cant distinguish between the two types of prostate cancer the one that will kill you and the one that wont.

The medical community is slowly turning against P.S.A. screening. Last year, The New England Journal of Medicine published results from the two largest studies of the screening procedure, one in Europe and one in the United States. The results from the American study show that over a period of 7 to 10 years, screening did not reduce the death rate in men 55 and over.

The European study showed a small decline in death rates, but also found that 48 men would need to be treated to save one life. Thats 47 men who, in all likelihood, can no longer function sexually or stay out of the bathroom for long.

Numerous early screening proponents, including Thomas Stamey, a well-known Stanford University urologist, have come out against routine testing; last month, the American Cancer Society urged more caution in using the test. The American College of Preventive Medicine also concluded that there was insufficient evidence to recommend routine screening.

So why is it still used? Because drug companies continue peddling the tests and advocacy groups push prostate cancer awareness by encouraging men to get screened. Shamefully, the American Urological Association still recommends screening, while the National Cancer Institute is vague on the issue, stating that the evidence is unclear.

But these uses are limited. Testing should absolutely not be deployed to screen the entire population of men over the age of 50, the outcome pushed by those who stand to profit.

I never dreamed that my discovery four decades ago would lead to such a profit-driven public health disaster. The medical community must confront reality and stop the inappropriate use of P.S.A. screening. Doing so would save billions of dollars and rescue millions of men from unnecessary, debilitating treatments.

Prostate-specific antigen testing does have a place. After treatment for prostate cancer, for instance, a rapidly rising score indicates a return of the disease. And men with a family history of prostate cancer should probably get tested regularly. If their score starts skyrocketing, it could mean cancer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/opinion/10Ablin.html

MMS: Error

MMS: Error

it only takes one google search to find all this info and a ton more on it xD

 

[IMT staff]

My endo told me to get an exam even though I started with the injections just 2 months ago.
He said it would be important to get a "start measurement".

Now I wonder what if my prostate should get bigger under TRT would this mean I have to stop it?

and to answer this no. a 5mg daily dose of cialis will drop your PSA like a rock, and if need be adding 5mg of propecia to that will drop it further.

sadly, neither decreases your risk of actual prostate cancer.

 

[Havasu]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/opinion/10Ablin.html

MMS: Error

MMS: Error

it only takes one google search to find all this info and a ton more on it xD

In your opinion then what is a valuable test to check the prostate, or screen for prostate cancer? The good ole finger, or is there something else?

 

[IMT staff]

In your opinion then what is a valuable test to check the prostate, or screen for prostate cancer? The good ole finger, or is there something else?

Man that is a tough question and your Urologist will know best. One of our network physicians is a Uro and I respect him a lot. He says once every 2 years screening is good. And this is for men over 50.

Even then the ole finger is not much more accurate than the PSA, take your time and read that NY Times article front to back, it is an excellent read.

As he points out in the article, it is much more important to routinely screen if you have a family history, if not.... well.

 

[pdelta]

and to answer this no. a 5mg daily dose of cialis will drop your PSA like a rock, and if need be adding 5mg of propecia to that will drop it further.

sadly, neither decreases your risk of actual prostate cancer.

Please provide backing for this statement. I have seen anything that shows Cialis affects PSA. It have never affected mine.