PSA < 0.1 but raising 3 years after surgery

I am not as well versed in this as other but since your still on sight I thought I would answer 0.06 is still a zero as far as I know. It's not a cause for alarm.

Hi, and welcome.

I wouldn't get prematurely concerned with the very small change, and never before a subsequent confirmatory test result.   [Also note that there are lab-to-lab variations; make sure all tests were sent to the same lab, and that that lab did not change test methodologies...ask the doctor to confirm.]   Just for reference, the American Urological Association provides this definition:

The AUA defines biochemical recurrence as an initial PSA value ≥0.2 ng/mL followed by a
subsequent confirmatory PSA value ≥0.2 ng/mL.

Follow this link for more detailed info:  http://www.auanet.org/content/media/psa09.pdf

What to expect?  Expect a follow-up PSA test to be ordered...maybe in 3 months.

The book answer posted above is correct, as far as "official definition", but many oncologists and radiation oncologists view 3 consecutive rises above .10 as a pretty good indicator of BCR. Men often have SRT way before the PSA ever hits .20 or higher.
Also, some of my local doctors view readings of .05 and above, especially if they are rising each time, as early evidence of BCR, depends on the patient and their PSA velocity issues.

Hopefully what you are seeing now is in machine range, as in the tolerance of the test, or a blip. The next reading might be a better indicator that an uprising PSA is in motion.

Good luck.

David in SC

With SRT, which is the most commonly used secondary treatment for men who's surgery fail in the form of BCR, the "odds" of it being sucessful range generally from 20-40%. If the remaining cancer cells are still in the prostate bed, the odds would fare better, but if they are already outside the prostate bed, the chances of SRT failing are much higher.

Depending on a lot of individual patient factors, sometimes having HT combined with SRT might be suggested as a secondary treatment. Some men do well with a combination treatment, with others, they don't.

It's always a hard call to make, whether to initate SRT or not, as any radiation treatments come with their own risks and side effects. They can range from mild and barely noticable, to severe, as in my own personal case.

SRT is generally viewed as being more effective if administered before the PSA rises to .5 post surgery, some experts will push that number to 1.0. The general view is that starting SRT, if needed, has more chances of being effective if starting with a lower PSA number. Typically, they will administer 60-72 gys of radiation, spread over 35-45 daily treatments.

Hope some of this helps.

David in SC

P.S. In my personal situation, the odds of SRT working for me were in the range of 10-20%, my radiation attempt failed within 9 months of completion.

you are correct...PSADT not meaningful at such low values

Changes in the numbers can really cause some sleepless nights as we all know.  My first year of psa tests after surgery all came back at <.010.  Then on the the fifth test the lady on the phone from the doctors office said my psa reading from the lab was now .064. This sent me into a major tail spin.  After several sleepless nights I was visiting with a friend that is also dealing with prostate cancer and he said that his latest psa was <.064.  His doctor had checked with the lab and they had changed their machine someway so the new standard was now <.064 instead of <.010 (lab had not let the doctors know about the change).  I did some more checking and found that a lab tech had forgot to add the < sign.  Moral of story, have the doctor check the lab for any possible changes and retest to double check results.  All the best wishs for your father.

 

Bob