Just had my 4th HRT injection, over 12 month period. Finished EBRT in May, 20 fractions, contained within
prostate.
Original T3A, N0, 4+3 PSA 5.4
How likely is any reoccurrence or significant raised PSA following completion off my HRT injections.
What are the likely treatments should this happen.
Am I worrying unnecessarily?
Good afternoon badger1234,
Thank you for getting in touch and welcome to our online community, I hope you find it supportive. My name is Helen and I am one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.
It’s understandable you have questions about your individual response to treatment and that you may be worried about recurrence.
Once treatment has finished you should have regular follow ups to monitor you. You’ll have your PSA levels checked and be assessed for any new symptoms.
Generally speaking, your PSA level should get very low after treatment. But PSA results only give a limited amount of information.
After radiotherapy, doctors tend to follow the PSA levels every few months to look for trends. A one-time, small rise in PSA might be cause for closer monitoring, but it might not mean that the cancer is still there or has returned.
If you are having hormone therapy at the same time as your radiotherapy, your PSA may reach its lowest level very quickly. Your PSA level won’t fall to zero as your healthy prostate cells will continue to produce some PSA.
Your PSA level may actually rise after radiotherapy treatment and then fall again. This is called ‘PSA bounce’. It could happen up to three years after treatment. It is normal and doesn’t mean that the cancer has come back.
Your cancer may have come back if:
Your consultant will continue to check your PSA level and will talk to you about further tests and treatment options.
As we haven’t got access to medical records on this platform, your consultant and urology nurse specialist are best placed to explain what to expect from your follow up’s and ask questions about your PSA levels.
It’s not uncommon for people to feel anxious and worried once their treatment has finished. Our coping with worries about cancer coming back guide may be helpful for you.
There may be other services in your area where you can access peer support and get help with how you’re feeling.
Your cancer team may also be able to help refer you to services within your NHS trust to help manage your worries. Please do contact them or your GP today if worry and anxiety is impacting on your daily life and usual activities currently.
I hope this information is helpful but if you have any more questions please don’t hesitate to get back in touch.
Best wishes,
Helen, 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 email us.
Ref/ HeP/DK
