Prostate

John C.

not sure if this is the right forum but here goes.
I am 50 ride about 2-3000 miles a year and have a family history of Prostate cancer, I am having my first PSA test on Thursday, My doctor has said that these will only be needed at about 5 year intervals. Before going to see him I thought it should be a yearly test. I accept it will depend on the results of this test but has any one any vews on this, or have any papers been written on age and cycling in regards to prostate cancer.

Anonymous

John C. wrote:

not sure if this is the right forum but here goes.
I am 50 ride about 2-3000 miles a year and have a family history of Prostate cancer, I am having my first PSA test on Thursday, My doctor has said that these will only be needed at about 5 year intervals. Before going to see him I thought it should be a yearly test. I accept it will depend on the results of this test but has any one any vews on this, or have any papers been written on age and cycling in regards to prostate cancer.

hey John,

No info on stats etc....but Ive read somewhere relations to prostate cancer and cycling....but prostate is a old mans cancer generally..and if caught early is very treatable....but I must tell you I suffer from Prostatitis and have did since I was 25...if I dehydrate I get burnin p*ss....and Ive had a good few rather 'intrusive' examination :shock: .....theres 2 ways they examine the prostate...none nice...front or back im afraid....I remember my consultant saying "I'll pop the camera up your whistle"...use your imagination....and with the other technique i could have put my saddle on my bike verticle and I wouldnt have known any difference :oops:

Hop Ive not worried you

Ken Night

I'm also 50 and have a family history of prostate cancer and have spent some time pondering this

The point about a PSA test is to establish a base line. (your PSA reading will fall in a range, which you then watch in subsequent tests)

It's no good on it's own, and therefore as Richy says, an examination will help confirm the current state of health

Thereafter, you can have a test every five years, and watch for other symptoms

msb

Don't be too quick to dismiss it as an old mans cancer. I was diagnosed with it at 49. It's often more agressive in younger people.
I was worried about biking but my surgeon didn't believe in a link, so gave me the go ahead as soon as I felt recovered. So far with plenty of MTBing and some road training, I'm still OK.

geerfree

RICHYBOYcp wrote:

John C. wrote:

not sure if this is the right forum but here goes.
I am 50 ride about 2-3000 miles a year and have a family history of Prostate cancer, I am having my first PSA test on Thursday, My doctor has said that these will only be needed at about 5 year intervals. Before going to see him I thought it should be a yearly test. I accept it will depend on the results of this test but has any one any vews on this, or have any papers been written on age and cycling in regards to prostate cancer.

hey John,

No info on stats etc....but Ive read somewhere relations to prostate cancer and cycling....but prostate is a old mans cancer generally..and if caught early is very treatable....but I must tell you I suffer from Prostatitis and have did since I was 25...if I dehydrate I get burnin p*ss....and Ive had a good few rather 'intrusive' examination :shock: .....theres 2 ways they examine the prostate...none nice...front or back im afraid....I remember my consultant saying "I'll pop the camera up your whistle"...use your imagination....and with the other technique i could have put my saddle on my bike verticle and I wouldnt have known any difference :oops:

Hop Ive not worried you

:? that post made my feel quite a lot of pain. I never thought examinations were like that.

Anyway, I have heard of younger people diagnosed, so don't assume its an old mans thing.

John C.

RICHYBOYcp wrote:

John C. wrote:

not sure if this is the right forum but here goes.
I am 50 ride about 2-3000 miles a year and have a family history of Prostate cancer, I am having my first PSA test on Thursday, My doctor has said that these will only be needed at about 5 year intervals. Before going to see him I thought it should be a yearly test. I accept it will depend on the results of this test but has any one any vews on this, or have any papers been written on age and cycling in regards to prostate cancer.

hey John,

No info on stats etc....but Ive read somewhere relations to prostate cancer and cycling....but prostate is a old mans cancer generally..and if caught early is very treatable....but I must tell you I suffer from Prostatitis and have did since I was 25...if I dehydrate I get burnin p*ss....and Ive had a good few rather 'intrusive' examination :shock: .....theres 2 ways they examine the prostate...none nice...front or back im afraid....I remember my consultant saying "I'll pop the camera up your whistle"...use your imagination....and with the other technique i could have put my saddle on my bike verticle and I wouldnt have known any difference :oops:

Hop Ive not worried you

I new about the back passage method but not the camera down the end of er.... . It is for that very reason that I have avoided getting checked out. I only heard about the PSA test last week and decided that was a lot less intrusive. Just have to wait and see what the results are now. I really don't want either internal examination .

Cheers Rich you've not worried me at all :shock:

Ken Night

John C. wrote:

[. I really don't want either internal examination .

Cheers Rich you've not worried me at all :shock:

As you go for the PSA test, your doctor will need to tell you about it's efficacy in conjuction with the other "diagnostic methods"

andy_wrx

My father was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and had a radical prostatectomy (i.e. hack it all out :? )

He's 71 and as he'd watched both his parents, my grandparents, die through particularly aggressive forms of cancer, I guess he felt that the risks of impotence and incontinence were, particularly for him at 71, rather less than the risks of more conservative therapies not getting rid of it.

Because he's had it, apparently that makes me about 4x more likely than average to suffer it myself.

The more I read about the limitations of the PSA test, giving so many false positives with consequent unnecessary surgery, or conversely false negatives with consequent not getting treatment until it's too late, coupled with the limitations of a digital rectal exam, the less filled with confidence I am...

Streffg

For what it's worth, here is my recent experience.
I had a PSA test done at work (part of a general health check). The result was higher than it should have been, so I went to see my GP. I was refered to a hospital consultant and a few weeks later a biopsy was performed (if you want to know how, the details can be posted later).
The results were negative. Six months later I had another PSA test, which was higher than the previous test! This week, I've just had another biopsy and will get the results in about 3 weeks.
While chatting to the nurse performing the biopsy, I asked if there was any known connection between cycling and prostate problems. She said that cycling can cause an elevation in the PSA result, and, to avoid influencing the PSA result, I should stop cycling for 4 weeks and refrain from sex for 48 hours! So, it appears that cycling and sex can raise the PSA figure.
Remember that the PSA result alone is not an indicator of cancer. The only way to be sure is to have a biopsy.

Ken Night

Streffg wrote:

................. so I went to see my GP. I was refered to a hospital consultant and a few weeks later a biopsy was performed (if you want to know how, the details can be posted later).
The results were negative. Six months later I had another PSA test, which was higher than the previous test! This week, I've just had another biopsy and will get the results in about 3 weeks.


...............Remember that the PSA result alone is not an indicator of cancer. The only way to be sure is to have a biopsy.

My GP said just that about the PSA test-and that further examination was necessary.

He also said, the biopsy itself can often cause a problem, as you've experienced