PSA spike during hyperbaric oxygen

[AllenMarco]

I started HBOT 6 weeks ago to treat radiation induced hemorrhagic cystitis. So far that’s going well but I am still having an occasional bloody urine but not as bad as before I started. My concern is that my PSA which had been holding steady around 15 for the last year while on both Orgovyx and Nubeqa has jumped to 26.5. I meet with my MO next week to talk about the next step, but I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced a spike in their PSA concurrent with HBOT?

[j-o-h-n]

What does a PSA spike during hyperbaric oxygen mean?

A - I ChatGPT said:

A PSA (prostate-specific antigen) spike during hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) could have several possible explanations, depending on the patient's medical history and condition:

Inflammation or Irritation – HBOT increases oxygen levels in tissues, which can lead to temporary inflammation or cellular activity that might cause a PSA rise.

Increased Cellular Activity – Enhanced oxygenation may stimulate cellular repair mechanisms, including in the prostate, which could transiently raise PSA levels.

Prostatitis or Infection – If a patient has underlying prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) or an infection, HBOT could exacerbate immune responses, leading to a PSA increase.

Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) Response – If a patient has BPH, the additional oxygenation and potential tissue remodeling might temporarily elevate PSA.

Cancer Progression (Less Common but Important) – In patients with a history of prostate cancer, a PSA spike could indicate progression or recurrence. HBOT itself is not known to promote cancer growth, but a rising PSA should be evaluated carefully.

Next Steps:

Monitor Trends: A single spike may not be concerning, but a consistent rise over multiple tests may warrant further evaluation.

Repeat PSA Testing: Waiting a few weeks and rechecking PSA can help determine if the spike is temporary.

Consult a Urologist: If PSA remains elevated or continues to rise, further diagnostic testing (such as imaging or biopsy) may be needed.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n

[Omalley]

I had radiation in 2009 and was fine until 2022 then I had kidney stone surgery at the VA several times, in the process they found my ureters were scarred and had to have reconstruction surgery on them, during that time I had to have kidney stents and I started having blood in my urine ended up in the ER several times for a catheter, in truth only once was the cause bleeding only but still there was a lot of bleeding that worried me, I had 30 in 2022 no bleeding since, To your question my PSA had varied from 0.2 to 0.5 over the years, it was 0.25 last check so the HBOT if it increased PSA it didn't stay up.

[spencoid2]

sorry don’t have an answer to your question but I am very interested in hearing details of your experience with hbot. I am having bleeding in my bladder enough to require transfusions and am considering hbot. I am somewhat claustrophobic and am wondering how I will tolerate the confinement. Were you put in a small chamber. How big how long etc. I have heard of rooms that treat several people at once. Where were you treated? How many sessions? How successful? Sorry for all the questions but I am desperate for a cure of the bleeding. Laser surgery sounds risky.

[AllenMarco in reply to spencoid2]

I’ve had 30 of 40 sessions (dives). Individual chamber. I’ve watched a lot of Netflix. Seems to be helping and I was pretty bad. Heavy bleeding, often had to self catheterize and have needed a Foley catheter a couple of times. I don’t feel claustrophobic but it is clear.

Didn’t capture the clear/plexiglass chamber.

[Shepherd0822]

I had 60 sessions of HBOT and my PSA remained at 0.006 and stills remains 18 months past the therapy.

[TraveledonBicycle]

I have always considered HBOT a treatment in search of a disease. Like any treatment if you undergo it whatever happens is ascribed to the effect of higher tissue levels of oxygen, but that is a speculative conclusion. Its hypothetical treatment effect on anaerobic bacterial infections didn't really pan out, and there are several obvious problems with that approach. Especially in gangrenous tissue. Strict anaerobes are killed in contact with significant levels of oxygen, however the levels, the sensitivity of a particular anaerobe, the presence of spores (Clostridium spp., Bacillus spp.) are theoretical reasons to think it might not work. Now the goal post has moved and it is immune activation that seems to motivate this. Well maybe, but just remember HBOT was invented and used for divers that experienced the Bends. A novel and effective and dramatic therapy. Its movement into infectious disease based on theory? It might be a good idea to check for yourself in the medical literature, (Medline ) for clinical trials or a Cochrane review of trials to reassure yourself you are bot wasting your time,r or worse. A therapy which does not produce improvement is not justifying itself,