A high or fast rising PSA could indicate that a man has prostate cancer and as a result doctors usually advise that a patient with a high or quickly rising PSA undergo a biopsy.
There are, nevertheless, two basic difficulties with a biopsy. First a biopsy checks just a portion of the prostate. It it may happen that the a biopsy could produce a false negative , missing the cancer. Second, biopsies have risks, like the possibility of infection and the threat of excessive bleeding.
Due to worries about these 2 issues seems to lead certain doctors to adise that male patients who have an elevated PSA pursue a program of “watchful waiting.” This is an approach by which the physician regularly checks the man’s high PSA for months or years. In this time some doctors recommend that the patient try non cancer related therapies, such as, for infection, based on the possibility that should the PSA is elevatedhigh for a reason besides prostate cancer such treatments might bring the PSA back to normal levels.
What can go wrong with this approach? The physician may too much time go by without advising that the patient undergo a biopsy. The more time that goes by while the PSA increases the chance grows that the rising levels are due to prostate cancer, as does the chance that the cancer will progress beyond the gland leading to a finding of advanced prostate cancer. In the event that a doctor, by advocating that the patient wait before doing diagnostic testing, results in a situation in which the cancer propagate and achieves metastasis, a cancer lawyer can help you decide whether you may have a medical negligence claim against that physician.
When the cancer is not diagnosed before the late stages, after it has spread beyond the prostate, there is at the current time no treatment that can eliminate the cancer. Thus one needs to ask: How many of the men who will die this year from metastatic prostate cancer would not have to die if their physician had tested them rather than holding off on recommending?
The above is basically general information that is commonly available and is intended for elementary educational uses only. It should not be taken as medical advice. Check with with a doctor if you have any health related issues and prior to taking any medical advice. In addition, the above is also not legal advice. Talk to an attorney regarding any potential legal concerns.