PSA test is not accurate, says prostate cancer patient
Norman Barr from Fairlie in Ayrshire was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and currently has a reading of six on the Gleason grading system used to help evaluate the prognosis of men with the illness.
The 63-year-old said the PSA tests are “not accurate” and only found out he was suffering from prostate cancer after a series of biopsies were carried out.
He said: “I only found out I had prostate cancer when they took a biopsy – they had to go through my bowel and take 12 biopsies and that’s when it showed up.
“When I took ill I went for a PSA and my level was 37, but that could have been down to illness as I started off with prostatitis and was really ill with that.
“The PSA level I had was 37 which set the alarm bells ringing and that’s when the proper tests started.
“I would say in accordance with what I’ve read and speaking to other people with the illness, it is not accurate – you could miss something with the test.
“The PSA level can affect how you feel, you can be under stress and that would push your PSA level up.
“To me it’s a false reading – it’s not accurate.”