2nd PSA blood test following HT & RT

Sounds good Buzzers but I would give someone a ring to check the wording.  If it is a standard letter they might send it to others!  Good luck with the scan.  David

Good idea David - will get onto that.

Hello Buzzers, we are all different and our bodies all seem to behave differently. My husband finished his RT in March 2023. He finished 18 months of HT in May this year. 

his first PSA after RT was 0.03.  Six months later it was 0.06 ie doubled. I was very concerned and questioned this at my husbands oncology review. He said that the PSA does ‘bounce around’ and that he would be concerned if it went above 2.0. At the oncology review in May ( at the end of HT) we were told it will take 5-6 months for the HT side effects to wear off but to expect a bit of a bounce in the PSA. He had an annual review last week. His PSA was 0.04- a slight drop.

i know just how much anxiety we all have over PSA results. I know that, in your situation, despite what the oncologist says, I would be ringing up to ask for clarification of ‘usual’ or ‘unusual’ because I lost trust in the hospital we deal with.  But we all act and react differently and this is a hard one to call.

sorry if this is not very helpful but I hope it might give you some slight help in deciding what to do next.

Good morning Buzzers 

Enjoy your day out in Plymouth today and I hope the scan shows no sign of the kidney stone.

There is a phenomenon called the PSA bounce which is quite common after radiotherapy, as is a rise as your testosterone levels get back to normal. According to this meta analysis it is more likely to be as a result of the hormone levels than the EBRT at the moment. We all worry when the PSA bounces around but your results are well within the expected values and as the radiotherapy will continue to work for a long time yet then it can be a while before your nadir is reached. I like the bit where it says a bounce in younger men (like you) is indicative of a better long term outcome.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7465291/

Hello Alwayshope & thank you for the link.  It's not often these days I get referred to as a younger man so that has made my day.  

We went into Plymouth mid morning (scan at 15:45) & had a great day mooching around the shops then up onto the Ho overlooking Plymouth Sound for a picnic lunch in the hot  sunshine (not as hot as where you live thank goodness) then back into the centre via the Barbican to the mobile scanner.  All in all we walked nearly 8 miles so a relaxing evening is planned.

Hi Brian.

Hope you and your husband had a nice relaxing evening after your day out in Plymouth. We have spent many days on the Ho and Barbican plus other haunts as hubby went down memory lane from his Navy days.

Hello WW

Having checked with the hospital they have clarified that it was indeed a mistype & should have said ''it is not unusual..'' or indeed ''it is to be expected..'' to see the PSA rise (bounce) on completion of treatment.

Alwayshope's reply covers this far better than I can.

Ahhh! Now that is good news ! I,m pleased you have been reassured. 

Hi Buzzers ,  it is hard to believe such a fundamental mistake, but if it is a standard letter, hopefully you have saved many others from undue worry.  Good result.  David