Just had my annual October check-up with my uro, but this time with a surprising twist

This latest annual appointment with him, last week, was actually pretty routine, but with one unexpected, and as noted, rather surprising development

Namely, this year's PSA test result, which has been done annually for years now.

My test results, from annual Quest Diagnostics tests, for the past several years have been .95, .99, 1.02, .96. (Was radiation guy, so it has never been down near zero).

Obviously it has been very consistent, almost surprisingly so for the past four years (earlier it varied more), almost a horizontal straight line across the graph, close to parallel to the X-axis.

And one might wonder why it's been so consistent like that, for these past few years.

So what just came back as this year's PSA test result for me?

.84

Oh my! A very noticeable DROP from the pattern of the last few years, close to a 20 % one in fact, and something I have never experienced before, that degree of drop relative to earlier years' values.

Of course, as we all know, PSA test results can seem to do funny things sometimes, but the concern is usually when they go UP rather than DOWN!

So a DROP in PSA doesn't get the attention a rise does.

But because it was so out of the ordinary for me, I naturally asked my uro just what might be happening here, to cause this unexpected drop.

He replied that "it can sometimes happen for no obvious reason," or the test that was done might have been flawed, and he had me confirm that the recent test had been done at the same lab as the previous tests (it had).

I then even asked if a drop, and not just a rise, in a PSA test result could somehow be signaling some kind of problem, although that probably wouldn't seem likely. But who knows?

He said he didn't think so.

Later I even asked Copilot for its take on the question:

Q:what can cause a significant drop in prostate specific antigen test result

A: a significant drop in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test results can be caused by several factors:

Medications: Certain medications, such as 5-alpha reductase inhibitors (used to treat benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH), aspirin, and statins, can lower PSA levels

Herbal Supplements: Some herbal mixtures or supplements might also affect PSA levels

Prostate Cancer Treatments: Treatments for prostate cancer, such as surgery, radiation, or hormone therapy, can lead to a significant drop in PSA levels.

Prostate Infections or Inflammation: Conditions like prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) can temporarily lower PSA levels.

It's important to discuss any significant changes in PSA levels with your healthcare provider to understand the underlying cause and ensure appropriate follow-up care.

With the possible exception of a symptomless infection or inflammation, none of the above apply to me right now. (But wouldn't an infection or inflammation, if one were present, cause the PSA to go UP, rather than down?).

So it's still a mystery as to why it went down so much, again, relative to earlier years' values.

A little bit of quick web-checking on my part didn't turn up much more in the way of additional possible explanations, so I guess I'll just have to file this one under question mark.

But my uro didn't seem particularly concerned about it, just noting that "we'll see what it does next time."

I just thought it was a little odd, and worth a mention, that I'd someday wind up being concerned, probably unnecessarily, about a DROP in PSA rather than a RISE!

Funny things, those PSA test results!

Anyone else ever have this experience?

Mumbo speaks wise words.

But I think I was more puzzled than made uneasy by this event.

Because when it come to PCa and all of its accompanying phenomena, it so often seems that it's just one oddity after another.

But that's the way this beast operates, I guess.

Djin Tonic -

I think my weight's been pretty consistent (195-200 lbs.) over the past year or so, but thanks for pointing out some additional reasons why PSA can even go meandering all about without there being reason for alarm.

I think you sum it up well when you say:

" ... A number of intrinsic (you) and extrinsic (the test) factors can go up or down on any given day, and may just happen to go mostly in the same direction ..."

How true!

I like the "Take the Win" idea. Can't go wrong with that.

As usual, the advice provided by this forum's members is both relevant and sound.

"Take the win ... " is advice which I shall indeed follow.

And Pratoman's comment " ... my guess is you enjoy these intellectual challenges," does, I think, pretty much summarize the approach I like to use in examining PSA numbers.

Because when one thinks about it, PSA number patterns over time may indeed come to resemble, at least to some degree, a mathematical puzzle, or game, such as one might put a pencil to on a newspaper or magazine page, in hopes of solving it.

But of course the problem is that the biological mathematics behind a series of PSA test scores is surely going to be far more complex than something like a Sudoku puzzle.

But I wonder if anyone has actually ever thought of turning a supercomputer loose on a run of PSA test scores for an individual, to see if enough of a pattern could actually be detected to enable accurate prediction of his future test results.

Probably not.

So Mumbo's advice is probably the best: just take the win and move on to the next game.

Down is always good with the beast… Bill