Post prostatectomy: What do rising PSA levels mean?

Posted by hoard @hoard, Sep 10, 2019

New to group! Wish I had checked this out 2 years ago while supporting my husband! Now over e years post prostatectomy, wondering what might make psa go from all 0 to 2.6...

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Prostate Cancer Support Group.

@ozment

93 years old, radical in 1992 PSA 90's, CT, Bone and Pet show no detectable metastasis. What could be going on?

Jump to this post

If I were to guess, he had his prostate removed in 1992, his PSA is now in the 90's while his CT scan, bone scan and PET scan came back clear of cancer.

REPLY

Radical proctocolectomy 1992, PSA slowly increasing in last 15 years, now mid 90's. Cat scan, bone scan and pet scan negative. Has anyone else experienced similar results. I would like to know what is going on.

REPLY

93 years old, radical in 1992 PSA 90's, CT, Bone and Pet show no detectable metastasis. What could be going on?

REPLY
@itterac

I lift weights a lot. Does this result in higher testosterone levels. My current level is 230. Should i change my exercise program now that my psa has risen to .15 2 1/2 years post RP?

Jump to this post

Hello @itterac, Welcome to Connect. From what I've read everything under 4.0 ng/mL is normal. Here's some information I found about your question.

Does Working Out Affect Testosterone Levels?: https://www.webmd.com/men/features/exercise-and-testosterone#1

It sounds like you may be concerned about the rise in your PSA since your radical prostatectomy (RP). Have you asked your doctor about your concern?

REPLY

I lift weights a lot. Does this result in higher testosterone levels. My current level is 230. Should i change my exercise program now that my psa has risen to .15 2 1/2 years post RP?

REPLY
@ira817

I had a prosectamy in 2005 and my PSA has been rising slowly. I was at 0.44 6 months ago and now 6 months later it’s 0.56. It has slowly going up. I am 70 years old now. What do you think of this?

Jump to this post

I think its awesome that you are 15 years post surgery. Rising levels now may represent a chemical reoccurrence. I would watch it closely. My dr. just advised to retest in 3 months and do nothing now at my .15.

REPLY
@ira817

I had a prosectamy in 2005 and my PSA has been rising slowly. I was at 0.44 6 months ago and now 6 months later it’s 0.56. It has slowly going up. I am 70 years old now. What do you think of this?

Jump to this post

Hello @ira817, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I found the following information on the Cancer.gov site that may be helpful explaining the PSA numbers.

"In the past, most doctors considered PSA levels of 4.0 ng/mL and lower as normal. Therefore, if a man had a PSA level above 4.0 ng/mL, doctors would often recommend a prostate biopsy to determine whether prostate cancer was present.Oct 4, 2017"
- Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test - National Cancer Institute: https://www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/psa-fact-sheet

Have you discussed the latest PSA test results of 0.56 with your doctor?

REPLY

I had a prosectamy in 2005 and my PSA has been rising slowly. I was at 0.44 6 months ago and now 6 months later it’s 0.56. It has slowly going up. I am 70 years old now. What do you think of this?

REPLY

Hard to answer whether radiation treatment is needed without knowing if the cancer has spread beyond your prostate. My inference is that it has. Typically the surgeon biopsies adjacent areas to the prostate when performing the prostatectomy. An MRI, while effective at identifying areas impacted by the cancer, is not 100% accurate, i.e., it can miss cancer cells. If the cancer has spread beyond the prostate based on conclusions from the biopsy, radiation may be in order, even though the surgeon will try to remove the additional areas impacted beyond the prostate during the surgery ("to get it all"). Typically, as one writer mentions, ADT treatment is recommended for a period of time post-surgery to further ensure that the cancer does not reoccur -- testosterone is the fuel that feeds the cancer fire. ADT suppresses production of the hormone. A rising PSA is a yellow flag unless it continues to rise over time. Hence, no immediate action may be required. For example, if radiation therapy only is used to treat prostate cancer, a "spike" in PSA isn't uncommon, only to return to an acceptable level at a subsequent test.

REPLY

Excellent and objective info. Thanks for sharing!

REPLY
Please sign in or register to post a reply.