Psa after surgery and radiotherapy.

Hello MWP 

In a nutshell the Hormone Therapy puts the cancer to sleep by removing it's food - testosterone. Once it's stopped growing the Radiotherapy kills the cancer cells for good.

The Radiotherapy keeps working long after your 20 fractions have been completed and an untraceable PSA is magic. You should be very pleased with the result.

Best wishes - Brian.

Hi Brian. Thanks for your reply. I can’t remember everything my nurse said earlier, I think she mentioned testosterone and that could still be very low meaning it could be still keeping psa at bay. So i wonder once testosterone is firing on all cylinders again I may have a rise in psa, I don’t know. Anyway I’ve had some encouraging news hopefully today and Thankyou again. 

I was told at my end meeting with the prostate nurse even though you PSA came back 0.01, it will probably rise once the treatment as warn off .at moment I feel ok 3 months on

Hello Terence, we were warned there would be a slight bounce in PSA once HT was wearing off. My husband jumped from 0.04 to 0.2 . I think the next 6 monthly PSA ( due next month) will indicate where we are going. I asked the oncologist what PSA readings set the alarm bells going. He said rule of thumb is 2.0 but in some men they wait until it’s higher than that before intervening. I didn’t pursue the issue but wish I had!

Hello Worriedwife 

The "alarm bells ring" when the PSA rises 2 whole points or you have 3 consecutive rises.

Of course everyone is different - we are taking no action with mine until it rises to 10!

Good luck next month with his PSA test - I am sure he will be fine.

Kind Regards - Brian.

Thanks, Brian. I do wonder what our oncologist’s rationale and criteria for his statement that some men might do not need intervention when the PSA reaches 2.0 post ht and rt? I wondered whether it is the balance between quality and quantity of life ( ie side effects of treatment)?  Or are they finding enough evidence to determine that rushing in with HT at a PSA of 2.0 is not clinically necessary?

Hi Worriedwife I think you are probably correct and also age plays a part.  The current trend seems to be more focused on aggressive treatment, hit it hard and fast.