I am 63 with high risk PCa. I was diagnosed with PSA of 30 and Gleason 9 in December. Biopsy and MRI showed all 12 cores malignant with "likelihood of extra-capsular extension". PSMA PET scan showed no mets as of December 15. I began treatment on February 26 with a week of Casodex followed by a Lupron injection on March 4. I started EBRT on April 1st and I'll have a brachyboost on May 8.
I had a follow up with my MO yesterday with new labs I can see that my PSA has gone from 30 to 11.2 in a month. I have only seen the results on my health portal, have not heard from my Dr. yet.
Is 11.2 a concerning PSA after one month on Lupron? It does show a drop but I was expecting to see a number much lower and of course I worry this could indicate activity outside the prostate.
Thanks for any insights you may have.
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If you look in my profile you'll see my husband's VERY slow drop in PSA over the last, almost 7, years. He currently is at .8 PSA. Took over 5 years to get below 1.
I don't think PSA drop from 30 to 11.2 in a month is concerning at all. It's too soon, give it time. It took 6 months for my father to find the PSA nadir.
Yes, I had almost decided to do RALP + EBRT + ADT at one point but met with a great team at Rutgers Cancer Institute of NJ who I trust to do their best with EBRT and Brachyboost with ADT. I will post a more detailed update to the decision process and how things are progressing. Thanks again for your reply.
Funny, John. I know these drugs we’re all taking can make us a bit grumpy—as evidenced by some of the recent post exchanges, but it’s also making us all faux English majors.
English???..... I (we) speak American..I'm still trying to figure out what "woke" "yo yo" "bling bling" and "mababa" (low in Tagalog?) mean....Anyway, too much "yada yada yada"....for me.........
"PSA" also stands for Permanent State of Anxiety. Obsessing over it (as we all do) will not help. This shows a great response to the initial treatment. Congratulations!
then, mission accomplished. We make decisions about treatment and have to lived with those decisions. Happily for me the PSA came down and has stayed down for five years. "Permanent regression" of my PCa? Hope so.
My PSA went from 150 down to 2 after two months. I started in late January of this year with a few weeks of Bicalutamide followed by Lupron and then Erleada. I start EBRT next week and I'll recheck my PSA this weekend.
Thanks! I started with Bicalutimide too. I am at the end of second week of EBRT. Showing up with an empty colon and full bladder is an intricate dance some days but so far all going well. The only side effect thus far is increased urinary urgency. Essentially when I realize I have to pee, I have to pee now. I started Flomax yesterday which my RO thinks will help.
I started and stopped the Flomax (tamsulosin) a couple of times. I found that I had better bladder control without it. Your experience may be different.
I talked with my doctor yesterday of this very thing. I wanted a PSA as I have been on the same meds for 5 weeks. He stated that is too early for an accurate PSA and that it would be of little use so to wait for things to settle down. So I am doing that
I dropped my PSA 9 points from 29 to 20 with just diet and supplements prior to medical treatments but it took 6 months for the lupron/zytiga/prednisone to get it to <.01.
I would like to hear about your dietary changes. I am not able to go on Zytiga due to hypertension. I am hoping a dietary change may improve the BP and allow me to go on Zytiga as well. In lieu of Zytiga my MO has kept me on Casodex.
I take modified Citrus Pectin (Pectasol), Chrolophyll, BCQ (which has curcumin and is a great anti-inflammatory), probiotics in all forms (caps and foods) and a few other supplements.
My diet eliminated sugar and alcohol, minimized carbs, no red meat, no processed foods (sausage, ham, bacon, anything pre-made in a box or package).
I do fresh juiced veggies (no fruit), and try to incorporate as many healthy fresh veggies as possible. Lots of veggies with dark colors: purple yams, carrots of all colors, chard, kale, (dark leafy greens), Sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, kefir, kimchee, and other pickled veggies. I also use the Moss Report and the Prostate Cancer Research institute (PCRI.ORG) for information on treatments, nutrition, etc. I drink pomegranate juice and other dark fruit juices (tart cherry, blueberry etc...no high sugar stuff) , lots of water and water with electrolytes. I ordered some masticated berry cups from Finland and make sure I drink one of those daily. (RobertsBerries). Also lots of raw pumpkin seeds and healthy oils like Pumpkin seed, MTC, Olive oil, etc.
There are a lot more details, but this gives you an idea. I am hoping to add exercise if I can get my stamina up to the point where I can be more active. Anything to strengthen the immune system.
I was 67 when diagnosed as you, G9 aggressive, PSA 20.6 first month on Lupron PSA was 8. After the radiation including HDR it dropped to 0.8.Now I am 76 and on a Cancer meds holiday. Message me please for more
I've been anywhere from 1.7 to 30 the past 10 years and I'm beginning to believe it's just a number. I go about on how I feel and ignore it. I let the doctors worry about it.
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