Psa raise 5 years after brachytherapy

User

Posted 20 Sep 2019 at 18:00

Hello. I just wondered what other people’s psa results were like 5 years on. Husband had brachytherapy almost 5 years ago. After 18 months psa went down to 0.01 where it stayed until 6 months ago it was 0.05 then this week it was 0.07 is this normal or should we be worried. It says online that there should be concern after 3 consecutive raises. Obviously only 2 at the moment. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

User

Posted 24 Sep 2019 at 14:26

For newer members, here is sjtb's previous profile with history https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/default.aspx?g=profile&u=17880

and in the most recent 10 posts, a lot of the back story can be read.

sjtb, I would add this link to your new profile and / or copy from your old profile into your new one?

In the context, I think it is super news that his PSA is still 0.07 👍

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 24 Sep 2019 at 14:42

Some people get readings like 0.07 as in the previous post.

All I got from my assigned cancer care nurse in July was that My PSA was less than 0.1 which means undetectable.

User

Posted 27 Jun 2020 at 16:29

Thanks for reply Barry. Yes I guess we’ve done all we can. I think the pain he’s getting is worrying him more than the psa raise really. So now we just await an appointment with urologist. GP hasn’t referred him to oncology he will leave that to the urologist.

I suggested he ask the surgery for a print out of all previous psa readings, he said no, there will be a fee for that. He thinks the GP will put all the readings in the letter to urologist.

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User

Posted 20 Sep 2019 at 19:04

He still has a prostate so the PSA is expected to rise as healthy cells regenerate. As long as it stays below 2.0 all is well.

The thing about 3 successive rises applies to men that have had surgery.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 20 Sep 2019 at 19:20

Ok thanks very much Lyn.

User

Posted 21 Sep 2019 at 06:16

There doesn’t seem to be much on the internet about psa after radiotherapy. All I can find is that once it reaches nadir after 18 months to 2 years, it should remain there. Even on this site it says if it raises 3 times in a row (after brachy or RT) then it may be recurring. I guess all we can do is wait another 6 months for the next test.

Edited by member 21 Sep 2019 at 06:17 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 21 Sep 2019 at 22:01

No - it is not expected to stay at nadir for evermore. The point of biochemical recurrence is nadir + 2

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 23 Sep 2019 at 18:29

Mine started rising after about five years , got to 3.1 had scan , had three tumours ,

Please see my Bio

regards Barry

User

Posted 23 Sep 2019 at 19:33

Thanks Barry. We don’t know what to think really. I guess it’s wait 6 months for next psa. As Lyn says he could just be producing more psa as the prostate is still there. But I know a few people that have had brachytherapy and theirs isn’t rising. It is raising very slowly anyway. 0.01 to 0.05 after 6 months then up 0.07 6 months later. So up .06 in a year.

User

Posted 23 Sep 2019 at 20:08

It would help to put the timeline with PSA values and treatment dates in your bio.

The other thing that's important on the timeline is when he finished taking hormone therapy.

Also, I presume we're talking about seed brachy here, not HDR brachy?

User

Posted 23 Sep 2019 at 20:25

Thanks. I did write all details originally. Then I couldn’t sign in on my old account. So I created a new user name that I am now using. I can’t remember if I put any details in under this name. I had everything written with dates, it’s annoying I can’t sign back into that account

Yes seed brachytherapy. He didn’t have any hormone therapy. He was told it wasn’t needed. We know 3 people that had brachytherapy with the same consultant. None had hormone therapy. We were told hormone therapy shrinks the prostate down ready for treatment. But as the prostate was of normal size they said it wasn’t necessary. I have heard from others on here on my original thread that that isn’t correct.
But at that time we just did as recommended.

User

Posted 23 Sep 2019 at 20:35

I just contacted the help page to ask if I can get my old account back (when I sign in it says wrong email address but I’ve always had the same email) all the info is on there. I went by the name of sjtb if anyone wants to read bio. Thanks.

User

Posted 24 Sep 2019 at 06:44

A Quick Point

My PSA slowly started to rise , over two years after my 37 sessions of RT

and three years on Prostap

I had a PET/CT scan when I hit 3.1

it showed three small tumours ,

I seen an Onco privately after I was advised by another member on here

I asked could I have six sessions of Docetaxel Chemo as well as going back

on Prostap , I have now been 0.04 for almost two years now and they are going to

put me on intermittent therapy if my next PSA test comes back 0.04

I am so glad for the member on here who contacted me

I was TB3 with a Gleason score of 4+4

User

Posted 24 Sep 2019 at 14:26

For newer members, here is sjtb's previous profile with history https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/default.aspx?g=profile&u=17880

and in the most recent 10 posts, a lot of the back story can be read.

sjtb, I would add this link to your new profile and / or copy from your old profile into your new one?

In the context, I think it is super news that his PSA is still 0.07 👍

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 24 Sep 2019 at 14:42

Some people get readings like 0.07 as in the previous post.

All I got from my assigned cancer care nurse in July was that My PSA was less than 0.1 which means undetectable.

User

Posted 12 Mar 2020 at 11:09

Latest psa is 0.09 so that’s the 4th rise in a row, everyone else I’ve spoken to that has had brachytherapy psa has remained at the lowest level. DH’s lowest was 0.01 where it remained for several years

Not sure what to make of it. But it is still very low. If we have to wait until it gets up to 2 before they find out what the problem is, if it raises at the same rate, it will take a few years to get to 2. So far 2 years to go from 0.01 to 0.09

User

Posted 26 Jun 2020 at 16:13

Ok. So latest psa is 1.1 if it was 0.01 then 0.05 then 0.07 then 0.09 shouldn’t it go 0.10 or 0.12 etc next? If so up to 1.1 from 0.09 in 3 months is quite a sudden jump.

That’s a bit worrying. He’s been referred to the urologist anyway as he’s been getting pain in the prostate area for a long time.

User

Posted 26 Jun 2020 at 17:08

Hi, I haven't read your full profile but it is surprising that his psa was 0.01 after brachytherapy. That treatment doesn't remove the prostate so I would have thought it normal to have a psa of less than 1 perhaps.

I just did a quick search and it says 0.6 to 1.4 would be normal. Others will comment I'm sure but are you sure you haven't got decimal places mixed.

Regards Peter

User

Posted 26 Jun 2020 at 17:48

Thanks for reply. Yes it was 0.01 for several years. Taken twice a year. To start with taken at the hospital then twice yearly with the gp.
4th rise in a row now. I’m sure that can’t be normal. I only know of 4 others that have had brachy. 3 of them remain very low. The other is up at almost 3 and awaiting scans etc.

User

Posted 26 Jun 2020 at 17:51

Meant to say....No not got the decimal wrong as I’ve seen a print out from one report back when it was 0.01 as he had other blood tests too. But I did wonder if my husband had the decimal wrong this time. I asked if he meant 0.11 which would still be up but only by a little. He said no definitely 1.1

User

Posted 26 Jun 2020 at 19:41

It is odd that his PSA went down so low - in the 18 months after his brachytherapy, his PSA readings were 0.78, 0.76 and then 0.7 so a PSA of 1.1 would seem well within expected range. Whatever happened in the time between 2017 and now, a PSA of 1.1 is okay for a man who still has a prostate - if it goes over 2.0 in the future the onco might be a little bit concerned.

As I said above, the '3 successive rises' thing relates to men that have had their prostate removed. Your husband's PSA is expected to rise because healthy prostate cells are regenerating.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." Soren Kierkegaard

User

Posted 26 Jun 2020 at 20:04

Thanks for reply Lyn. It was at 0.01 for at least 4 readings taken twice a year. It does say on this site (I think, but may have read somewhere else) that after brachytherapy 3 rises in a row should mean a return to a consultant. I think we got a 0.02 first but didn’t think much of it. Then 0.05 so that is actually 5 rises now. But as he is getting quite a lot of pain in that area (enough to keep him awake) maybe it could be something else. The gp always says it’s prostatitis so he’s been on antibiotics for a couple of months now. I’d like to hope it can’t be prostate cancer returning as that surely it wouldn’t hurt. Is that a symptom? Maybe in advanced stages but hopefully not this early on.

The gp is writing to ask for a quick referral with the urologist. But with the current situation I don’t suppose it will be quick. I’m thinking I probably won’t be able to go with him this time either. He never seems to listen to what has been said.

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