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Hi all I've just had a rectal examination due to a PSA of 4.5 (I'm 64) my urologist said my prostate did not feel right so I had an MRI ,I got the results to that and they said I had some suspicious marks , anyway I now am booked in for a biopsy next week and am a little anxious could there be non cancerous problems in the prostate.     Thanks. Mace 

  • Hi Mace, and welcome, I can tell you a PSA score of 4.5 is perfectly normal for someone as young as yourself, and as we get older our prostate very often grows, and not always uniformly, I'M sorry but no one on here is a medical professional, so to advise on suspicious marks, is not something I can do, but there are non cancerous reasons that affect the prostate and that is what your biopsy will find out, ask your medical team for a course of antibiotics to start before your biopsy as there is a small but significant risk of infection, best wishes with your test/results, and please let us know how you got on.

    Eddie

  • Good Morning  

    A warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Community - although I am so sorry to find you here.

    As my friend  said in his post above none of us are medically qualified so it's all personal opinion.

    First off here our guide to "Having Tests for Prostate Cancer" in THIS LINK.

    As Eddie says your PSA is normal for a 64 year old so the biopsy is just to make sure. Most biopsies are now the Trans-Perineal (TP) type as shown in the link above.

    There can be reasons why your prostate didn't "feel right" that aren't cancer - so things can well be OK.  As for the MRI I had some "suspicious marks" on my pelvis so they aren't 100%.

    I do hope the above helps - if I can do anything else for you please let me know. Keep us posted when you get your biopsy results.

    Best wishes - Brian 

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  • Hi Mace - it's such a tricky time waiting for tests and final verdicts, isn't it? But my husband John and I have discovered that this is the very best place to linger when you need some reassurance. We've also realised that things can go in totally different directions from the way you thought you were going eg John was being investigated for some suspicious patches on his bladder, after a cystoscopy, hence his MRI, and I convinced myself he had bladder cancer and wasted many hours googling that and preparing myself for the bad news. However turns out that was nothing to worry about but he does in fact have PC - real good news/bad news stuff Slight smile What I'm trying to say is that what will be will be and fretting about it won't change the outcome -  and yes, I know that's far far easier said than done but this forum is exactly the right place to offload all those worries and I see you've already had some reassurance so I hope you feel a tiny bit less worried.......

  • Hi again I have to have a bone scan next Tuesday now I must admit I'm a bit concerned about that to be honest 

  • Hi  .

    The bone scan is usually given to confirm that there are no bone mets and with the low PSA it is unlikely that any cancer, if present, would have spread to the bones.

    The bone scan itself is no different to having the MRI with the exception that you are normally given the radionuclide and then have to go away for an hour or two before actually having the scan which only takes a few minutes. You will be radioactive for a while afterwards so will be advised to avoid pregnant women and children for the rest of the day.

    Here is a link to a free book which you can download explaining the different tests and what they mean, plus treatment options if you get to that stage.

    https://issuu.com/magazineproduction/docs/js_prostate_cancer_guide_for_patients_ezine

    Keep asking questions, we all know what a worrying time it is for you.

  • Thank you that's made me feel better 

  • Hello Mace, I can well understand your concerns! My worry was that the bone scan would reveal yet more problems which I felt I couldn’t cope with at the time. Fortunately my husband was clear.

    looking back and knowing what I now know, I realise that this is a standard diagnostic to help determine the treatment  pathway. For example, there is no point in removing the prostate if the cancer has spread to the bones but, in this scenario there is a much better treatment for halting progression for, hopefully, years. I didn’t know this at the time and so wound myself up into a ‘jittering wreck’!

    I do hope that you get a really good result!

  • Hi Mace, as Alwayshope and Worriedwife have explained, your bone scan is routine, it's just your team being thorough, good luck and a happy new year.

    Eddie