In a Perfect World What tests would you run before treating PCa

There has been a lot of conversation here lately that has me thinking about all that I know now that I did not know when I was diagnosed. There have been some new developments in testing that have come along since I was diagnosed.

And there has definitely been a lot of conversation about screening, over treatment, under treatment and so on.

So if I was not limited by insurances and finances and had access to labs and technology, what would I do today if there was a suspicion that I might have PCa? What information would I really want to make an informed decision about the need for no treatment, immediate treatment or just continuing to monitor and being able to respond accordingly to changes.

This is only my list from what I have learned and I absolutely welcome suggestions. I am by no means an authority on PCa (hell the medical community can't agree) and I continually learn something during my visits here at HW.

My thinking is that this list may be something that can be referenced when the new guys come along with all of the same questions we had when we found HW.

PSA test - now that was a given wasn't it.

PCA3Plus - newer refinement to the PCA3 test. This was approved by the FDA for Bostwick Labs, January 2012.

/www.bostwicklaboratories.com/GLOBAL/Services/Laboratory-Services/Urologic-Pathology/PCA3Plus.aspx

Color Doppler - 3D color inside look at the prostate without needle biopsy.

pioa.org/about-prostate-cancer/accurate-staging/color-doppler-tissue-harmonic-ultrasound/

Biopsy - after I have exhausted all of the tests that tell me this one is required.

2nd Opinion of Biopsy Slides - depending on who read the slides initially, I might want to get a 2nd opinion by one of the expert nationally recognized labs that are referenced here most often.

ProstaVysion - A test performed by Bostwick Labs to look at prostate cancer aggressiveness and long-term patient prognosis.

/www.bostwicklaboratories.com/GLOBAL/Services/Laboratory-Services/Urologic-Pathology/ProstaVysion.aspx

DNA Ploidy - Studies have shown that patients with diploid cancers (having normal DNA content in cancer cells) have longer cancer-free intervals and survival than those with non-diploid content. Diploid tumors are also more responsive to hormonal therapy.

/www.bostwicklaboratories.com/GLOBAL/Services/Laboratory-Services/Urologic-Pathology/DNA-Ploidy.aspx

If I am missing something let me know and feel free to make additions. None of us here knows all there is to know about this crap.

But I think if I had all of this information, I would be in a position to make a more informed choice about treatment modalities and so on. Sure wish I had know this back when.

Sonny

Note: the links I provided, with the exception of Bostwick, are just meant to be informative about the test or topic.

Sonny

This is really interesting.

For the new guys this may answer questions before they undergo the biopsy.

We all must be our own advocates, knowledge truly is power.

Thanks my friend

Bud

Sonny,

Good list and an excellent start to a sticky.

I would add:

PAP; a blood marker that is the best indicator of treatment failure.

An MRIS with a 3Telsa or a multiparametic MRI as an option for Color Doppler.

A full tumor marker analysis by Dr Bronkoff in Germany.

Better use of psa kenetics; PSADT, PSA density, and PSA velocity.

USPIO scans from Sandlake Imaging to identify lymphnode involvement.

PET Clorine 11 scans.

 

These are all great suggestions!

For someone who is personally trying to get our area to declare September as "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month," given the new PSA whack down, additional resources are needed.

It's hard to push for "Prostate Cancer Awareness," when it seems like the average person, totally unfamiliar with prostate cancer, is being told that they are better off not being aware. My husband and I were "those people" just ten months ago.

I'm really not trying to beat a dead horse, and I fully understand that the PSA test is only harmful due to over-treatment. We happen to fall into a unique group where the PSA test was done for years and clearly should have indicated a "concern" 6 years ago. So in our case, even though we had never even heard of a PSA test, it was epic fail on the part of the doctor, as he did not inform us of the results or even of what "PSA" is. That is where the whole "better off not knowing" has me fuming. We are bright enough to know that with the word "cancer," along comes the "get it out" mentality. However, it was too late to "get it out."

Doctors need to held accountable also. Sure, we were very ignorant patients in 2011, but we didn't make a decision until we became more informed... through our own research and additional opinions.

But, I digress...
Again, EXCELLENT resources provided!
Thank you!

That is a great list and good ideas. I clicked on this thread hoping to add something insightful and useful but I can't think of anything that hasn't already been mentioned.

so I'll be the in the shop if you need me. :)

Working on serving trays today.

I am going on 11 year survivor as of June 22.
I was Dx'd with PSA and DRE by Primary with follow-up by Urologist with PSA and DRE followed by biopsy.

Some of the additional tests and procedures may have helped with some of the post surgery problems but the basic found what was needed