PSA Test

Prostate Cancer survivor, Nelson man Lee Nelson a retired doctor, said that Prostate Cancer is an’insidious and sneaky’ disease. in the detection of prostate cancer men must be much more proactive. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer
in 1997 after his first routine prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. Up until then he had absolutely no symptoms or idea that he had the cancer that was spreading throughout his body as he was very fit and in good shape physically at 55 years old.

After the PSA blood test, Nelson returned to his homeland in the United States and consulted with some of the country’s top prostate cancer experts.

‘I was given seven different medical opinions, all strongly voiced,’ he said.

He decided on a radical treatment regime that was a combination of 3 things – radiation and hormonal therapy and lifestyle changes, after studying thousands of papers on the subject.

It’s important to understand that there are many treatment options and therefore many potential side effects from cancer so we need to understand the disease.

He commented that like him you could have no symptoms and so be in a dangerous position, because prostate cancer is a sneaky and insidious disease so you’ve got to have your blood tested regularly.

‘I wouldn’t be alive today if I’d waited another year without a PSA test’. It’s as simple as that.

Nelson recommends that men start getting the PSA Test at 35 years if they have a family history of prostate cancer; otherwise they should begin testing at 40 years old.

Where breast cancer is the leading killer of women in NZ, prostate cancer is the no 1 cancer killer of men’ he said. Breast cancer however gets far more publicity and promotion.

Diet could help the prevention of the disease, try substituting fish for red meat, take vitamin D, try to reduce your stress levels and increase your exercise. Fruits like pomegranate and berries were beneficial for prostate health, he said.

In addition there are a few really good Prostate Supplements which if taken early enough and regularly could also assist in preventing prostate cancer disease taking hold.

There was a 70 year old man also living in NZ was prompted to visit his GP with urinary symptoms suggesting an enlarged prostate. As is standard procedure the doctor did a PSA blood test. The result of this test was

that the PSA levels were elevated, which raised suspicion of prostate cancer. but decided that another PSA Test should be carried out after 3 months. The clinic did write to the man once to remind him that he needed to have a further PSA test but didn’t followup that initial contact.

After seeing blood in his urine the man visited his doctor again but it was 12 months later. Another PSA test was taken and it showed a higher PSA levels than the previous year. Following prioritisation by a consultant urologist the man was

subsequently diagnosed with prostate cancer which had spread.

So the real message here is as follows;

Start taking Prostate Supplements such as %Maximum Prostate1% maximum prostate from an early age – don’t wait until it’s too late.

Prevention is better than cure.
Start getting PSA tested at around 40 years old and then keep that up every year. Don’t forget to follow up if your doctor recommends it or ask to see a Urologist if PSA levels are too high. Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in NZ men with over 2,900 diagnosed every year . Up to 670 men die in New Zealand of the disease annually, with at least 50% (335) of those deaths believed preventable through early detection. See %PSA Testing2% PSA Testing for more info.