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Should I be worried

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 11/13/2014 1:20 PM (GMT 0)
My PSA has been rising ever since the RP in March of 2011. It's still relatively low at .044 but the rising trend is not good. My question, since i am a G6 organ confined cancer guy should I be concerned about disease spreading to other parts of the body? I've read studies where post op G6 almost never spreads. If so, why would anybody treat it with SRT or hormone therapy?

I'm just trying to be proactive and put the beast at bay before the PSA numbers hit the .1 mark. Thinking about visiting Dr. Myers for the Avodart/Metformin treatment for possible durable remission. I'm against nuking it. Anxiety level just seems to grow with every blood test.
Posted 11/13/2014 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
Not sure I'd be that concerned at the moment. Yes, monitoring it is a good idea.

If it keeps rising the real question is, where is the PC? If it's still in the prostate bed then a little SRT is the normal course to get rid of it. HT won't kill it, just stop it while you're on HT. At your PSA level, it would be very difficult to figure out where it is, if it's still there.

It's possible that some prostate tissue was left behind after surgery and it's grown back a little or you've got some PC somewhere. Very difficult to know for sure. The other question I don' have an answer for is, can G6 change into a G7 or worse or maybe you had some G7 but it was so little no one saw it.

A consult with someone like Dr. Myers might be a good idea to see what you options are.

But mostly, I'd just keep on living life and monitor until it gets closer to .1

Andrew
Posted 11/13/2014 6:01 PM (GMT 0)
Im going through the same thing right now. My urologist doesn't seem to concerned so I am doing my best to maintain that attitude.
Posted 11/13/2014 9:11 PM (GMT 0)
No. absolutely not. more proof how ultra sensitive testing can cause needless worry and anxiety.
Posted 11/13/2014 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
The general ratioanle is that G6 does not morph into G7, rather than some G7 may have been missed on the random biopsy.

I think your premise that G6 cannot kill you and it is growing so slow, just watch it carefully is sound, but like everybody else here, I am not a medical professional.

LupronJim
Posted 11/13/2014 11:11 PM (GMT 0)
I would agree that nothing is required now. Protocol is to wait for two successive .2 readings before starting SRT.
Bob
Posted 11/14/2014 2:09 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Viper,

Your numbers are very similar to mine, shifted one year and a little slower.

I talked to Scholz and Myers and others and all agreed, somewhere around fall of 2013 when the PSA was .07 that even though the number was nowhere near the official threshold of .2 that the smoothness of the trend was strong evidence of a recurrence. So I decided, with input from my docs, that if it hit 0.1 I would go to salvage radiation then rather than give it another year to cook and spread. Now, I was a G3+4, hence a notch more serious than yours. I think the benefit of using the ultrasensitive is you have the option to pull the trigger sooner.

Probably no harm in trying the avodart approach. Just be aware that there is a theory (Scholz believes this) that avodart doesn't necessarily arrest the cancer so much as slow its growth and reduce of PSA that it puts out. So if it were me, and if I were using Avodart, I definitely would set a lower threshold of action than the official threshold of 0.2 plus a confirming reading.
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