My man has stage 3 prostate cancer even though the blood test was negative. how can that be?

he has been diagnosed just over 18months ago and are not sure how long he has. anybody got any info on this cancer?

My man has stage 3 prostate cancer even though the blood test was negative. how can that be?
PSA test results report the level of PSA detected in the blood. The test results are usually reported as nanograms of PSA per milliliter (ng/ml) of blood. In the past, most doctors considered PSA values below 4.0 ng/ml as normal. However, recent research found prostate cancer in men with PSA levels below 4.0 ng/ml (2). Many doctors are now using the following ranges, with some variation: 0 to 2.5 ng/ml is low: 2.6 to 10 ng/ml is slightly to moderately elevated: 10 to 19.9 ng/ml is moderately elevated: 20 ng/ml or more is significantly elevated. There is no specific normal or abnormal PSA level. However, the higher a man’s PSA level, the more likely it is that cancer is present. But because various factors can cause PSA levels to fluctuate, one abnormal PSA test does not necessarily indicate a need for other diagnostic tests. When PSA levels continue to rise over time, other tests may be needed. False negative test results (also called false negatives) occur when the PSA level is in the normal range even though prostate cancer is actually present. Most prostate cancers are slow-growing and may exist for decades before they are large enough to cause symptoms. Subsequent PSA tests may indicate a problem before the disease progresses significantly. Using the PSA test to screen men for prostate cancer is controversial because it is not yet known if this test actually saves lives. Moreover, it is not clear if the benefits of PSA screening outweigh the risks of follow-up diagnostic tests and cancer treatments.You state that your man has stage 3 prostate cancer. You may well be aware of the different stages, but if not I will state them here.- Stage 1: the cancer is very small and completely inside the prostate gland which feels normal when a rectal examination is done. Stage 2: the cancer is still inside the prostate gland, but is larger and a lump or hard area can be felt when a rectal examination is done. Stage 3: the cancer has broken through the covering of the prostate and may have grown into the seminal vesicles. Stage 4: the cancer has grown into the neck of the bladder, rectum or pelvic wall, or has spread to the lymph nodes or another part of the body. Sometimes these stages are called A - D (with A being Stage 1), particularly if you are being treated in North America where the system is called the Dukes-Jewett Staging System.


I add a link containing details of this subject –





http://patients.uptodate.com


/topic.asp?file=cancer/6435





I add a further link with information which you may find of interest





http://www.innovations-report.


com/html/reports/medicine_


health/report-42446.html





Hope this helps


Matador 89
Reply:You're welcome, glad to have been of help.


m.89 Report It

Reply:Did you try a search? Cancer is so vast a topic, doing your own research would be better.





Anyway, cancer can be hard to diagnose, and it can progress rapidly, slowly, can even fool the tests like any other disease.
Reply:There is always the chance of error in any diagnosis.


Check out this web page,


http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/help/defaul...
Reply:I'm very sorry for you both.


The blood test tests for levels of PSA which usually show up high if there is any sign of disease. However this test is sometimes unreliable.


Read this site for more info.http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/facts...
Reply:The PSA can have false negatives, about 1-2% of the time. It is just a screening test. It sounds like he has had more testing done, such as biopsies, which are going to give you a more complete picture. See the sources below for more info on prostate cancer, although there is plenty more available on the web. I hope he does well.
Reply:Agree with some of the answers above. PSA, while it means prostate specific antigen, is really a very non-specific test, and it can be elevated in those who don't have cancer or be low in those who have cancer. Although people tend to think the "normal" range of PSA is below 4-4.5, there really is no "normal" for this test.





In terms of prognosis, stage 3 cancer is a more aggressive behaving prostate cancer, but also important to know is the PSA (low is good in this case) and the Gleason score which tells you the Grade of the tumor (usually from a biopsy or a radical prostatectomy). In general, prostate cancer is among the slower growing of all cancers...even in patients that are widely metatstatic (stage 4), there are still good treatments and the median survival is in the order of years. Good luck.
Reply:No, but i was dianosed with renal cell carcinoma(kidney cancer) strange thing was, my urine and my blood were clean. It only takes one tiny little cell to brake off and cause metastasis.