Psa flucuate

[Chris52981]

My dads PsA that has been decreasing it was around .22/.24 went to .15 now two months later was .28- is this common sometimes to fluctuate on Zytiga and prednisone-

[LearnAll]

Yes Chris...it is not uncommon to see mild fluctuations in PSA while on Zytiga and prednisone. What you need to see the overall pattern ....is it on upward trajectory or just doing up and down..not going in define direction.Even how much water/fluid he drank on the day of PSA testing can make mild difference in PSA readings. If he was dehydrated, the hemoconcentration can show up as higher PSA.

There are many other possible reasons for mild fluctuations. Pay attention to longer term trend and that is really what matters.

[Chris52981 in reply to LearnAll]

Thank you! The dr said if it goes up in three weeks when he retest past .3 he will give him a CT scan cause he has had Axumin already. But he did say he’s not too concerned that it could fluctuate. I also realized my dad was forgetting toTake the second dose of prednisone daily so

I’m not sure if that had something to do

With it.

[Magnus1964]

PSA readings below the .5 level may fluctuate often due to inflammation or irritation in the prostate bed.

[winkoliu in reply to Magnus1964]

Totally right, irritation on the prostate bed may cause PSA fluctuate. I sit on a prostate cushion that may help.

[jfoesq in reply to winkoliu]

Hi- I am a bit confused. Does the prostate bed remain AFTER a prostate is removed? If not, what other explanations might there be for 2 slight increases in PSA after having been on Lupron and Zytiga for years?

[Chris52981 in reply to jfoesq]

My dad never got his prostate out.

[winkoliu in reply to jfoesq]

Sorry to make you confused. This is only one of the possibilities, there may be other causes. Your diet may be one, some food may elevate PSA level.

[jfoesq in reply to winkoliu]

Thx

[j-o-h-n in reply to jfoesq]

It's like taking the pillows off but bed remains...

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 01/20/2022 10:44 PM EST

[GAdrummer]

We would see fluctuations because the samples went to different labs. The clinic would alternate between inhouse and commercial labs. The trends were easier to spot when the results were kept on a spreadsheet and graphed. It just took longer, needing more data points (PSA tests). There are a number of jokes in the scientific community about how many points are needed to declare a trend. A statistician wants >1000 while a politician wants 1 and gets to choose which one.

[jfoesq]

Thx!