PSA up again and doubling time again less than 3 months

Hi Jim,

Yes, I still have my prostate, such as it is with each core at biopsy full of cancer.  Prostate cancers are either lions or pussycats, responsive to testosterone starvation,  and I thank the Lord mine is a skinny pussycat these days.

I've read your profile and appreciate that your oncologist said that any PSA would come from secondaries, but I've seen prostates regrow after removal despite radiotherapy so that is a possibility with your PSAs.  It is a positive spin and we all need that.

I'm sure that they will tame your "lion"

I pray that you progress well.

Regards

Charles

Hi all,

Thought I’d update you after my hospital appointment yesterday, which wasn’t as bad as I’d imagined it might be. My oncologist expects my PSA to continue to rise and estimated it’d be back into whole numbers by my next appointment in April but generally she isn't too concerned. She explained something she’d remarked on before, that my Gleason of 4+3 isn’t behaving like a 7 - she thinks that it’s the 4 part that’s causing the problems and that if only the 3 part had been left behind then my PSA probably wouldn’t stubbornly bounce back up after every treatment.

For now she is going to leave my current treatment as it is as the objective she has is to eke out its effects, and those of my future treatments, as much as possible. I’m not out of treatments yet but there aren’t that many left (I think we discussed 3, then it’s clinical trials) so it makes sense to get the most out of each one. 

I asked why I’m staying on Bicalutamide as, despite taking it, my PSA is still going up and the reason for that is that, if I were to stop, my PSA would rise even faster.

I asked about the possibility of the prostate growing back, or part of it, and it being that which is producing PSA, and was told that if any bits of prostate tissue did grow back it’d be cancerous tissue, not healthy, but also that it wasn’t usual for that to happen.

I felt reassured by the appointment despite being told my PSA was going to go up more, maybe because I didn’t expect it not to. Last night I had my first good night’s sleep for a week.

All the best

Jim

It sounds like your oncologist is great Jim. She has explained everything well. I wondered why bicalutamide is still used when PSA is rising as I’ve read that for a few people now. The fact that PSA would rise faster without it explains why.

I know you will need further treatment down the line but your oncologist seems to have it all in hand. Funnily enough the bit about the Prostate growing back was something my wife had read and she was really hoping I had healthy Prostate growing back in 2016. I asked the same question of my oncologist and was told exactly the same that any regrowth would be cancer. 

Great to get a good night’s sleep to make you feel better too.

Wishing you all the best Jim.

Ian.

Thanks Ian. Yep, my oncologist is great. 

Hi Jim,

That sounds good.   I read somewhere recently that we have killer cells that work during sleep to mop up cancers and sleep deprivation reduces these by 70%    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/sleep-deprivation-epidemic-health-effects-tired-heart-disease-stroke-dementia-cancer-a7964156.html.

So we should get the eight hours if we can.  Glad to see that you slept well.

Regards

Charles

Folks I’m new to this site so forgive please if I mess this up. Yes, the lead up to the next test is a stress for us all. After removal didn’t do the job, I had Pelvic RT. Didn’t do the job. But readings static @ circa 0.64 ish for 3 tests. Just today, now 1.46. The beast is on the run again.

Hello Snibbi, welcome to the community, sorry to read that your PSA is on the rise again after prostatectomy and salvage RT. It is devastating when we get PSA results on the move.

Are you starting hormone therapy now?

If you read my profile you will see I have had a prostatectomy and salvage RT but am still on hormone therapy so don’t know yet whether SRT has been successful.

When did you have yiur surgery, what was the pathology and how quickly did the disease recur? 

Finally you have tagged on to another thread, it would be better if you started a new thread by pressing the “start a new discussion “ tab in the prostate cancer box at the top of the page.

Best wishes, Ian.

.

Thanks very much for posting this, Charles. I'm new on here and find your reply really helpful. Regards, Michael 

Hi Folks, I am a little confused regarding the reaction to the PSA results on here. I have finished a bout of treatment over 2 and half years, 20 sessions radiotherapy, one year of Prostap and one year of Bicalutamide. My PSA now is 0.09, surely as the prostate recovers form the damage of radiotherapy there should be some increase in the PSA ? I read somewhere that a reading of 0.9 to 1.2 after treatment is acceptable ? What is the advice re the continuation of taking Bicalutamide for a period ? I am not keen as I get painful nipples and they say I need weekly Tamoxifen for this. Having had a heart attack and stent fitted I am concerned about potential blood clots forming. I am 77 years old.

Thank you, Dougie