Prostate Cancer reoccurrence after Radio Therapy

LogsB 1 month ago

1 reply
36 subscribers
105 views

I am very new to all this, having finished Radio Therapy along with T-Blockers in November 2023. I was told my PSA should drop to a very low level but with RT there may be a bounce. In March 2024 my PSA was 0.089, June - 0.55, September 0.683, and December - 1.1

This looks like a ramp to me rather than a bounce, increasing by 0.4 every three months it looks like I will be up to the threshold of 2 in 6 months where further investigation is deemed necessary.

On the positive side, I was diagnosed with stage 2, 1 core of 17 showing positive, but Gleeson score of 7. Due to chronic lower back pain I had a bone scan in October which showed nothing worrying.

My question is, is my PSA typical? My Oncologist at my last phone meeting said it was due to the Testosterone levels recovering. But previously my understanding was that Radio Therapy was supposed to reduce the PSA count.

I would appreciate any thoughts or information.

Ursula- Macmillan 1 month ago

Dear LogsB

Thanks for getting in touch with us and welcome to the online community. My name is Ursula and I’m one of the cancer information nurse specialists. I see you have joined a few of our forums here, I hope you have found them supportive.

I can see you are concerned that your PSA has been rising since completing radiotherapy in November 2023, it is understandable to have questions around this. Here at Macmillan, we can give general information and support. We are independent of the NHS and do not have access to medical records, so we are unable to give personalised advice.

Whilst the PSA can be useful test for ongoing monitoring after treatment. It can also at times be raised for reasons other than cancer, which you can read more about here.

After radiotherapy your PSA should drop to its lowest level (nadir) after 18 months to 3 years. You have mentioned the ‘PSA bounce’ which is when the PSA levels may rise after radiotherapy and then fall again. We are unsure what causes this, but it could happen for up to three years after treatment. Each person’s results will be looked at individually to decide whether further investigations are required. Prostate Cancer UK also have this information on follow up after treatment.

It is good that you have spoken with your oncologist about this already. However, as you still have questions we would suggest getting back in touch with your team again, as they will be best placed to discuss this with you further. If you have a clinical nurse specialist they may also be able to support you with this.

You are also very welcome to call us on the Macmillan Support Line and speak to one of us about your particular situation. We often find that it is easier to talk things through over the phone and allows us both the opportunity to ask questions.

I do hope you find this information helpful, but please do not hesitate to get back in touch with us if you need any further support.

Take care,

Ursula

Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

Ref: UH/LR

Disclaimer

Prostate Cancer reoccurrence after Radio Therapy