I am a 75 yr old male with CHF and COPD. I am a type 2 diabetic. I am anemic and have some slight beginning of significant water retention. I have had aortic valve replacements, 4 grafts, and recently an AV Node ablation. This leaves me totally pacemaker dependent. My PSA first came back abnormal in Nov. 2008 of 4.2... In 2 months it was over 6, and now after a biopsy in June 09, I am almost an 8. I have been too ill with other things to do the prostatectomy yet, but am getting strong enough for the surgery. I want to know how high the PSA goes, or what is a marker number for me to know where I stand on the severity of prostate cancer. MY urologist says the cancer I have is still in the prostate, but it is the fast growing kind. Prognosis help? Surgery or nothing.....?
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Q: What is the highest number on the PSA scale for prostate cancer?
There is no maximum PSA that a patient can have. Once a diagnosis is established or treatment initiated, the extent of the PSA could be considered as a marker for the extent of the disease.
There are several reasons why you are not a surgical candidate. At age 75, the multiple co-morbidities (heart disease, congestive heart failure) that you have would not make you a surgical candidate. For surgery to be considered as an ideal treatment, the patient typically has a life expectancy of at least 10 years so that the survival advantages that are associated with surgery can be seen. Given your age, and other medical problems, it is not certain that this would apply in your case.
However, given the rate of change of PSA, it does appear that you may have a more aggressive form of cancer. The results of the biopsy would be helpful in order to make a recommendation for the best treatment for you.
Treatment options that may be beneficial to you potentially include radiation or hormonal therapy.
Hi Bully,
Thanks for your question. I'll pass it along to one of the doctors on our site. We'll let you know when a response has been posted.
In the mean time, you may want to look through our section on PSA Testing.
-Dan
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