Prostate cancer & raised PSA how to inform men

[Ben_T]

I am looking for examples or information about clinicians informing men that their PSA levels have risen and any advice they were given.

[dans_journey]

Hi Ben,

Your request is a little vague out without more context. I'm assuming you're talking about a PSA increase after initial treatment because we're in the advanced prostate cancer forum.

The way you worded your request also makes me wonder if you want responses based on the clinician's perspective instead of the patient's perspective.

I'm not a clinician but I did have a radical prostatectomy and my PSA became detectable 54 months after my surgery. I can check my PSA results online before going to the doctor, and that's both good and bad. In fact, that's how I learned the my PSA had become detectable again, and I went into full panic mode. I had to wait a couple of weeks before my appointment with my doctor where we discussed its significance and what to do about it (continue to monitor).

We've been checking my PSA every four months for the last two years, with it continuing to slowly climb (from 0.05 in September 2015 to 0.10 in December 2017). With each appointment, we discuss the trend and the possible treatment options. My next PSA test and appointment are in April, and I suspect that the conversation will get more serious about selecting a path forward if my PSA increases again.

I don't know if that addresses your concern or not.

All the best. —Dan

[lavis]

My Prostate Cancer returned 5 years after my treatments of Radiation and Lugron.

My PSA stayed the same, 0.12, for over a year. 2017

Three months ago, it increased to 0.15.

I am taking another PSA Test next week.

Not sure if it continues to increase, how long it will be before, I have to start additional treatment.. I have a very good oncologist and he monitors my PSA closely.

Hopefully, it is fairly slow growing and I will not have to have any additional treatment for a while.

Does anyone else have a similar situation?

[Tall_Allen in reply to lavis]

Biochemical recurrence after primary radiation therapy is nadir+2. You are nowhere close to that. In fact, you have a PSA most of us would be envious of. Why do you say, "My Prostate Cancer returned 5 years after my treatments of Radiation and Lugron." Nothing in your post shows that.

[lavis in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thank You, Tall-_Allen, for your very informative response.

The reason I said that my Prostate Cancer returned is that, when my PSA kept rising, I asked my PREVIOUS Urologist, if that meant my cancer was returning.

She said, "Yes", but that was her job and not to worry about it.

I therefore, assumed, the worst.

Due, to a couple of other issues, with this female Dr., I decided to change Dr's.

I now, am going to a Oncologist, (Scripps - Green Hospital, La Jolla, CA) and he has not used the word "returning", just that we will watch my PSA scores closely.

He seems to be comfortable with all of my blood work, during the last 6 months.

I should have asked him, the same exact question, I asked my female Dr. , however, I still believed what she told me.

Your response, is certainly comforting to me.

This site and it's members are proving to be invaluable.

Thank You!

[Tall_Allen in reply to lavis]

It is amazing how ignorant urologists and medical oncologists are about radiation. You should be talking to the radiation oncologist who did your radiation.