Tag: Normal PSA

PSA is termed normal or abnormal if it is above 4.0, or more recently, 2.5. Biopsy is recommended whenever PSA is above this threshold. Due to the flood of men being diagnosed with latent prostate cancer, we no longer have the luxury of such a mindless approach. Too many men are being swept up in unnecessary surgery or radiation.
A number of factors should be considered before doing an immediate biopsy:
-Recent sexual activity, lab error or benign prostate enlargement (BPH) could be elevating the PSA
-Advanced age reduces the risk of dying of prostate cancer because the chance of dying from the disease in less than ten years is extremely small.
-The psychological impact of hearing you have CANCER must be considered. For many of us, it doesn’t matter how many times we are told that our prostate cancer is Low-Risk, Chronic, non-life-threatening, latent or doesn’t require treatment. Once we hear we have cancer, our self image is forever transformed for the worse.