Generally speaking, your PSA level should get very low after treatment. Before starting treatment, you might want to ask your doctor what he or she expects your PSA level to be during and after treatment, and what levels might cause concern. Other factors can also play a role in determining if cancer is still there, if it is growing, or if it has come back. Understandably, many men being treated for prostate cancer are very concerned about even very small changes in their PSA levels.
The PSA level is an important tool to monitor the cancer, but not every rise in PSA means that the cancer is growing and requires treatment right away.
To help limit unnecessary anxiety, be sure you understand what change in your PSA level might concern your doctor. If you choose observation or active surveillance , your PSA level will be monitored closely most likely along with other tests to help decide if the cancer is growing and if treatment should be considered. Your doctor will watch your PSA level and how quickly it is rising.
Not all doctors agree on exactly what PSA level might require further action such as a prostate biopsy or treatment. PSA bounces typically occur between 12 months and 2 years following the end of initial therapy. This is a gray area that requires a lot of input from your team, possibly including your urologist, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist to help you decide on the best course of treatment.
For more information, including a list of questions to ask your doctor if your PSA is rising after initial treatment, download or order a print copy of the Prostate Cancer Patient Guide. For the majority of men, prostate cancer is treatable and curable and does not come back after initial treatment. In itself, this is a monumental accomplishment that can PSA Rising. A man who has been treated for prostate cancer should discuss an elevated PSA level with his doctor.
The doctor may recommend repeating the PSA test or performing other tests to check for evidence of a recurrence. Scientists are investigating ways to improve the PSA test to give doctors the ability to better distinguish cancerous from benign conditions and slow-growing cancers from fast-growing, potentially lethal cancers.
None has been proven to decrease the risk of death from prostate cancer. Some of the methods being studied include:. Menu Contact Dictionary Search. Understanding Cancer. What Is Cancer?
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Study Findings. Metastatic Cancer Research. Intramural Research. Discussing with your doctor the benefits, limitations and potential risks of the PSA test can help you make an informed decision. A PSA test may help detect prostate cancer at an early stage. Cancer is easier to treat and is more likely to be cured if it's diagnosed in its early stages. But to judge the benefit of the test, it's important to know if early detection and early treatment will improve treatment outcomes and decrease the number of deaths from prostate cancer.
A key issue is the typical course of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer usually progresses slowly over many years. Therefore, it's possible to have prostate cancer that never causes symptoms or becomes a medical problem during your lifetime. The potential risks of the PSA test are essentially related to the choices you make based on the test results, such as the decision to undergo further testing and treatment for prostate cancer.
The risks include:. A nurse or medical technician will use a needle to draw blood from a vein, most likely in your arm. The blood sample is then analyzed in the lab to measure your PSA level. There's no specific cutoff point between a normal and an abnormal PSA level. Your doctor might recommend a prostate biopsy based on results of your PSA test.
Your doctor might use other ways of interpreting PSA results before deciding whether to order a biopsy to test for cancerous tissue.
These other methods are intended to improve the accuracy of the PSA test as a screening tool. Researchers continue to investigate variations of the PSA test to determine whether they provide a measurable benefit. Before getting a PSA test, talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks. If you decide that a PSA test is right for you, ask your doctor:. Discussing these issues beforehand may make it easier for you to learn the results of your test and make appropriate decisions afterward.
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