Hi, my dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014 and decided against any treatment. Almost 9 years on his Psa has gone down to 11 from 13 last year. Can we be confident that it is not advancing? Or does the psa not show this?
As you know, PSA testing can be used to monitor untreated prostate cancer, there are two slightly different ways of doing this, one is called active surveillance and the other watchful waiting. You can read more about them on our website here.
There are other factors that probably need to be taken into account, but generally, a stable PSA is a good thing and hopefully reflects stable disease, but I am not sure if any test in isolation can guarantee what might lie ahead. Prostate cancers aren't all the same, so really the best person to answer this question is someone directly involved in your dad's care who knows the full picture and can interpret his most recent PSA test in context.
Please give us a call if you want to talk anything over. our number is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and we are around weekdays, 9-5.
