PSA bounce after LDR brachytherapy?

[NYC_talker]

Hi all,

First, an update, as my last full update about various issues was five weeks after LDR brachytherapy (almost two years ago), in which I reported that, thankfully, I had no urinary, bowel, or sexual function issues.

That update is here in the link below, and I'm happy to report that it's all still the same. Not experiencing any side effects at all.

healthunlocked.com/prostate...

I have a question about PSA bounce: Have I actually experienced one or not?

My PSA prior to treatment: 5.74

Four months after January 2022 treatment: .92

Six months after that: 1.06

Six months after that: 1.02

Six months after that (this week): .95

(I've separately had my primary care doc testing me every three months, and it's a different lab so I don't want to confuse you with his numbers--but same exact trajectory.)

Obviously it went down dramatically after treatment, then up slightly. But everything I've read about bounces suggests it needs to rise by lot more than .14 to be considered an actual bounce, at least for the purposes of studies.

Would my PSA be considered to be relatively stable and staying the same? Or was/is there real movement here?

[NotDFL]

I don't think those minor changes qualify as a 'bounce'. You may see one later on though.

[Tall_Allen]

Why are you concerned about what to call it?

[NYC_talker in reply to Tall_Allen]

I get the point. Bounces are normal and common. I was just curious if this qualified as one.

[Jprostate]

There is the issue of accuracy of the reading itself which I can’t speak to. Also as I understand it factors other than cancer do affect psa readings. Considering all that it would appear you are stable. Best wishes

[NYC_talker in reply to Jprostate]

Yes, sometimes differences are so minor that it could be anything affecting it. That's what I was thinking.

[Justfor_]

In my personal case, I have noticed a PSA seasonality and have posted about it in a thread bearing such a name. I have monthly PSA readings, so more data to crunch. Your posted numbers don't preclude such a seasonal variance although hard to prove.

[curtisbirch]

I know this feeling well and I wish the doctors would do a better job informing us generally what to expect for our PSA tests to follow for the months and even years to follow treatment (in my case). After HDR brachy, I had a series of bounces that I felt were alarming, even though everyone was saying that they were to be expected. And additionally, a number of bounces as your PSA drops (eventually to your nadir) was supposedly a good thing. Yours aren’t bounces. Your PSA is stable at these numbers. Movement by .3 +/- can even be considered stable and not a bounce. But when my PSA went up by 1 or 1.5 (sometimes more) people telling me they were bounces didn’t make me feel any better. It wasn’t until I got a response from Dr Chris King (Tall Allen’s treating doctor) that I was able to put it in perspective and relax. I will post that note from Dr King as well as my bounce story in the near future to hopefully help others going through this.

[NYC_talker in reply to curtisbirch]

Thanks. Yes, there's not a lot of guidance. And I think we're probably all a little anxious to see it drop to a very low number so we're attuned to any movement--or non-movement.