So scarred ????

I believe a determination of the doubling rate is a good move then start the HT. It appears to be three months but docs like to see the trend in three successive PSA assays.

But this is your husbands call. If he wants to start then he should. If he wants to wait it isn't a bad strategy for the short term. But it will eventually require some sort ofintervention.

One thing for sure. Stay positive. There is still much to do...

Tony

Tony,

Yes, he's been treated at City of Hope from the beginning. I love the place and all the doctors just hate that we need to go there.

Melissa

Melissa, I am in a similar situation to your hubby, but have not had SRT.

At the current low levels, the PSA number will jump around a bit so you shouldn't read too much into a rise from 0.04 to 0.09. However, it seems that whatever the doubling time, the PSA is rising so you will be faced with HT at some time in the future.

Opinions are divided at just when that should be -- my uro suggested waiting until my PSA is 10, but also there is a school of thought that suggests hit it early and hard.

Statistics indicate we have a 13-year life expectancy after recurrence -- see John T's post in this thread www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=35&m=2072465

As for the scared side of things -- I take this view: I have always been going to die of something, someday. All that has happened is that I now have some inkling of what and when, and still by no means certain. But in the meantime, I will enjoy my remaining 10 years or whatever.

Hang in there, there is a lot there is to do and a lot that can be determined. Looking at the stats, I do not see " that high a psa to determine srt failure or quite frankly to definitivly call BCR in the first place, but Im not a doctor. You are here for support and you got it. You are also here for advice. Here's mine, at the minimum, wait till you get to at least the std BCR 2 consecutive .2 3 mos apart, before you use the HT card. I personally would wait longer, and will not get into that now. Help me guys is this just me, but this man has had a clinical trial, a " BCR " and now " failed SRT, all this, with out even hitting the .2 mark and just hitting the .1. Melissa, love that name, have your husband, read walshes book and scardino's book regarding rising psa after surgery and get involved in the decsion making , if he isn't already. the bone scan and psa are just what is needed as next step. My bet is no bone mets. When the RO says he thinks its distant mets, where's the evidence, whats the evidence , just because you had srt. Ok having said all this, I am a believer in having faith in your doctors , but it should be educated faith. Listen this not the begginig of the "real effects. Slow your mind down, keep your hope and faith. COH is top notch, Im baffled on this one, tho...

melissa, my radiation oncologist made it clear, as well as 2 of her partners, that there is no psa bounce after srt, it should never rise. after radiation as a primary treatment, there is normally a bounce, as the patient still has a prostate, even if badly damaged by the radiation.

after my srt, had 2 small drops, been nothing but rises ever since its been declared a failure.

good luck

david

Sorry you've got to deal with this, and so soon after SRT.
The bone scan will almost certainly show absolutely nothing, but that's sort of the reason for doing it now in order to have a base line against which to spot any changes that may show up later.

I can't remember whom it is but there is someone here whose PSA went up a bit after SRT to something like 1.0, but then stayed there for years without him having any additional treament. Everyone seems to have a slightly different journey.

I think the key now is to accumulate information (once again) but take it slowly when it comes to making the next decision about treatment.

Alf