Gleason Score

Hello Christine, my apologies for the late response.
In reply to your query about my PSA tests.
My first one in March 2020 with a result of 4.7, was done when the hospital was trying to find out what was wrong with me, 4 months after getting ill.
I ended up with Sarcoidosis which is an inflammatory condition where the body tries to fight an "unknown virus" by releasing a mass of white blood cells that then become dormant because they can't do anything. These then turn into granulomas that can affect any organ in the body, especially in my case, the lungs, eyes, brain and spinal cord.
Turned out that I caught Covid in the February from a work colleague who returned from holiday and coughed in my face.
Anyway, I digress, sorry.
Due to Covid, I wasn't able to see anyone regarding the PSA result until August.
Since then my PSA was checked on: 8/2/21 result = 9
24/5/21 result = 10.7
August 21 biopsy
28/9/21 result = 10.1
14/1/22 result = 11.1
August 22 biopsy
11/10/22 result = 14.8

I then started HT, 4 months before RT
22/2/23 (1st day of RT) result = 0.73
29/4/23 (4 weeks after RT) = 0.28
19/10/23 result = 0.06
16/10/23 result = 0.05
19/4/24 result = 0.03

As you can see I did have quite regular tests even through Covid and I am glad that my PCa was found early because of it.

I hope your husband is doing well and is on the road to recovery.

Best wishes
Peter

Hello Goggie .

I have just come across an update by Cancer Research UK which suggests that a saliva test has been developed which is better at detecting prostate cancer than the PSA test and can differentiate aggressive from slow growing variants using genetics. Eddie pointed us to a recent American development which is using genetics with a urine test. Both are still at the trial stage but it just goes to show how much research is taking place.

https://news.cancerresearchuk.org/2024/06/01/at-home-saliva-test-spit-test-diagnose-prostate-cancer/

I'm glad you posted the link as I saw a headline about this when scrolling through one of the on line national newspaper sites & meant to go back later in the day to read it.  Typically I did find time it had vanished into thin air & I began thinking I had imagined it.  

I asked my Oncologist about Gleason scores having read about them on the internet - I have no idea what my Gleason score is as I was told they never bothered to do one as they knew my cancer was highly aggressive (was admitted to hospital with MSCC) - still curious....