Rising PSA

I had my prostate removed in 2008 and since have had regular psa checks which were all unrecordable.In July 2018 my psa read 0.2, october 0.25, In 2019 March 0.23, October 0.30.

I am now 82 years old and my consultant does not think that further treatment should be considered unless the psa rises significantly higher.I dont have any other symptoms and remain fit and healthy.

 

 

  • Hello Christopher. 

    I'm glad to hear that your surgery was successful and that over the past 10 years you've remained fit and healthy. It's good that you've continued to be monitored by the Consultant during this time. 

    PSA is usually measured in nanograms per millilitre of blood (ng/ml) and there is no one PSA reading that is considered normal. The reading varies from man to man and the level does increase as you get older. 

    Given that the rise over the last 10 months has been small and that you're currently fit and well I'm presuming that the Consultant is planning to continue with regular PSA checks to keep an eye on things. Any treatment that may be available obviously has side effects and it's important that the risks and benefits are considered. 

    If you think it would be helpful to talk through your concerns with one of our team of nurses you're most welcome to give them a call. They're available on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and I'm sure that they would be able to offer some advice and reassurance. 

    I hope this helps. 
    Best wishes, 
    Jenn
    Cancer Chat moderator

  • Hi Christopherhw.

    Welcome to the forum. 

    I am not a doctor, however, I did have an RP back in December 2010.  

    You are most unlucky to have a biochemical PSA recurrence after 10 years.  The chance of that happening is very low.  

    I've taken the liberty of putting your PSA numbers into a calculator to work out the doubling time, and it works out around 4 years. With doubling times, the longer the better and 4 years is an extremely good result. Clearly your consultant is doing the right thing - which is simply to leave it alone.

    It may never get to a high enough level to require treatment.