Rising PSA after surgery and radiation

sbg42 · New User Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 4

I have my prostrate removed 3 years ago. Last May my PSA started to raise so my Dr. had be undergo radiation. I just had my 1st PSA readout since completing radiation and it went by by a factor of 3.5. Now my Dr is telling me that it is not unusually for ones PSA to spike upward right after radiation, and scheduled me for another PSA readout in 2 months. But my Radiation Dr. never told me that could happen and in in fact told me that if successful I should expect the PSA reading to be same or lower, and up was bad. So needless to say I am both confused and more then alittle concerned.

If anyone has had this same spiking experience after radiation please let me know.

DavidCohen · Regular Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 37

Something is wrong. Your PSA will spike if you still have a prostate (the radiation causes inflammation, and this increases PSA). However, you don't have a prostate, so your doctor is wrong. I had the exact same situation as you.

David

[quote="sbg42"]I have my prostrate removed 3 years ago. Last May my PSA started to raise so my Dr. had be undergo radiation. I just had my 1st PSA readout since completing radiation and it went by by a factor of 3.5. Now my Dr is telling me that it is not unusually for ones PSA to spike upward right after radiation, and scheduled me for another PSA readout in 2 months. But my Radiation Dr. never told me that could happen and in in fact told me that if successful I should expect the PSA reading to be same or lower, and up was bad. So needless to say I am both confused and more then alittle concerned.

If anyone has had this same spiking experience after radiation please let me know.[/quote]

sbg42 · New User Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 4

David thank you for your response. Since I posted my concern I talked with my Radiation Dr. He told me the same thing you said. He suggested that the increase in PSA was in fact most likley due to a couple of different standards used by different labs. My latest PSA showed that my PSA has remained the same from the last test (which is good news). Next one the Dr. is going to be the tail teller so I have my fingers crossed.

Steve

[quote="DavidCohen"]Something is wrong. Your PSA will spike if you still have a prostate (the radiation causes inflammation, and this increases PSA). However, you don't have a prostate, so your doctor is wrong. I had the exact same situation as you.

David

[quote="sbg42"]I have my prostrate removed 3 years ago. Last May my PSA started to raise so my Dr. had be undergo radiation. I just had my 1st PSA readout since completing radiation and it went by by a factor of 3.5. Now my Dr is telling me that it is not unusually for ones PSA to spike upward right after radiation, and scheduled me for another PSA readout in 2 months. But my Radiation Dr. never told me that could happen and in in fact told me that if successful I should expect the PSA reading to be same or lower, and up was bad. So needless to say I am both confused and more then alittle concerned.

If anyone has had this same spiking experience after radiation please let me know.[/quote][/quote]

DavidCohen · Regular Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 37

What was your PSA before and after and what lab did the test? This will tell me a lot (Quest labs, Labcorp, etc.).

[quote="sbg42"]David thank you for your response. Since I posted my concern I talked with my Radiation Dr. He told me the same thing you said. He suggested that the increase in PSA was in fact most likley due to a couple of different standards used by different labs. My latest PSA showed that my PSA has remained the same from the last test (which is good news). Next one the Dr. is going to be the tail teller so I have my fingers crossed.

/quote]

sbg42 · New User Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 4

Hi Dave,

My PSA levels post surgery back in 2002 was less then .1. and stayed there until at a routine physical in Oct of 04 it became detectable at .1. I went thru watch and wait period of 4 Months and in Feb of 05 it was .21.

We continued to wait until April 05 and it was .4. The .1 was done thru my Primary Physican, the .21 was done by the VA, and the .4 was done by my urologists. It was decided then that there was still cancer cells somewhere so they did a bone scan, which proved to be negative. So they made the assumption that any cancer cells I still had were localized in the prostrate area and they radiated that area. That ended in June. In August my Urologiest office took my PSA and it had spiked to .7. In Oct (EOM) my primary care Dr. took it again and it was .8. All of the Dr's told me that .7 to .8 is iis the same due to variations in the test., but that my December test which is will be approx 22 weeks from end of my radiation treatment will be the telling one as it should start to come down. So in net it looks like this

<.1 .1 .21 .4 Radiation .7 .8 ??
June Oct Feb Apr May - June Aug Oct Dec
2002 2004 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005 2005
various Primary VA Urology NA Urology Primary Radiology
Care Office Office Care Medical Ctr

I believe in all cases except the VA the blood goes to our medical center
for its lab work. The Urologist is apart of the Medical center and My primary care physican is a member Dr.

The Dr's have advised me the it takes approx 22 weeks after radiation to determine if it has been sucessful. Sucess is a PSA value that has stablized or reduced. But should it continue to increase they will do nothing but watch it (Test every month) until the increase is 30% or more off from the .7 PSA level which they now consider to be my new base line.

Thanks for your interest
Steve

DavidCohen · Regular Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 37

Steve:

If you have no prostate, and the radiation kills the remaining cancer cells, shouldn't your PSA be zero, or close to zero? This is after 22 weeks. Are you saying that even with a PSA of let's say 0.4, they still consider you cancer free? I'm VERY interested in what they're saying.

David

gonogo · Regular Joined: 18 Jun 2005 Posts: 25

The Dr's have advised me the it takes approx 22 weeks after radiation to determine if it has been sucessful. Sucess is a PSA value that has stablized or reduced. But should it continue to increase they will do nothing but watch it (Test every month) until the increase is 30% or more off from the .7 PSA level which they now consider to be my new base line.

For what its worth, the Boston hospital that did my RP got pretty excited when my PSA went above .2. That is when they recommended radiation treatment. After 2 years at .04 it started up again.

DavidCohen · Regular Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 37

Well, I had the same situation. My PSA only went up to 0.2 after the radiation, which freaked me out at the time, but the doctors have seen this before and said it may just sit there. I asked them why I would have any PSA after a RP and salvage radiation, and they could not answer, but did say they have seen this scenario before, and they are ok with it.

I got my PSA below 0.1 a week ago by taking some supplements, which appear to work very well. I am making progress in my personal treatments, and have seen other men with the same success.

David

[quote="gonogo"]The Dr's have advised me the it takes approx 22 weeks after radiation to determine if it has been sucessful. Sucess is a PSA value that has stablized or reduced. But should it continue to increase they will do nothing but watch it (Test every month) until the increase is 30% or more off from the .7 PSA level which they now consider to be my new base line.

For what its worth, the Boston hospital that did my RP got pretty excited when my PSA went above .2. That is when they recommended radiation treatment. After 2 years at .04 it started up again.[/quote]

gonogo · Regular Joined: 18 Jun 2005 Posts: 25

[quote="DavidCohen"]Well, I had the same situation. My PSA only went up to 0.2 after the radiation, which freaked me out at the time, but the doctors have seen this before and said it may just sit there. I asked them why I would have any PSA after a RP and salvage radiation, and they could not answer, but did say they have seen this scenario before, and they are ok with it.

I got my PSA below 0.1 a week ago by taking some supplements, which appear to work very well. I am making progress in my personal treatments, and have seen other men with the same success.

David

In July I tested .31, will test again February 06 to see if I will be put on hormone therapy. Not really looking forward to that. Feburary will be 4 years since radiation treatment. After RP my PSA went down once, hoping it will again. What are you taking for supplements?

DavidCohen · Regular Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 37

A lot. Email me directly for a list.

David

In July I tested .31, will test again February 06 to see if I will be put on hormone therapy. Not really looking forward to that. Feburary will be 4 years since radiation treatment. After RP my PSA went down once, hoping it will again. What are you taking for supplements?[/quote]

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