I am 12+ months clear of my RT and last HT implant and my most recent PSA test in February '25 showed <0.05 which is obviously encouraging. I am told that if it rises within certain parameters then more HT is likely to be offered (which is fine by me). My only confusion is whether a rising PSA indicates cancer that was already returning OR would constitute 'food' if ever cancer came back (i.e. the HT would be given as a precaution against any recurrence of the cancer).
Many thanks,
Argy48
Hi Argy48,
Thank you for getting back in touch with us. My name is Adrienne and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists at Macmillan. I hope you are finding our online community helpful and supportive.
It’s great to hear that your prostate specific antigen (PSA) test from February was <0.05 and you’ve had a good response to treatment. When someone has had hormone treatment and radiotherapy, the PSA level will often be lower. It usually remains low for months or longer after the injections have stopped. However, the PSA usually rises after this before stabilising at a slightly higher level.
If prostate cancer comes back, the first sign is usually a rise in the PSA level. While both normal and cancerous prostate cells produce PSA, levels tend to be higher in prostate cancer. You usually need more than one rise in the PSA level to find if prostate cancer has come back and doctors also look at how quickly it rises.
If the PSA is rising quickly and/or significantly, this is usually a sign of recurrence. This means that some of the cancer cells were not completely eliminated during the initial treatment. It’s at this point where your doctor would offer you the hormone treatment again. To stop testosterone being made or from reaching the prostate cancer cells. It’s the testosterone that ‘feeds’ the cancer so without it, the cells will die or grow much more slowly.
I hope this information was helpful Argy48 but please know, you can always give us a call on the support line. We are here every day and it can give you the opportunity to ask any further questions that may arise.
Take care and best wishes,
Adrienne
Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts by phoning free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
Ref: AMc/AP
