Talk Cancer

Question:

As you may remember, Jim completed 35 salvage IMRT radiation treatments in the beginning of October.  BTW-he did very well with almost no side effects.  His first PSA after that was taken right at the end of RT and came back at undetectable. I guess what I want to know is  this.  Should they absolutely stay at undetectable, or is it possible to have  some PSA show up and not really mean anything?  I was surprised when the PSA was undetectable so quickly and now I feel like we’re set up for real upset if they don’t stay that way. I thought radiation gave a slower result. Thanks, Linda

Response:

Linda, The use of radiation as a curative treatment will usually result, as I understand it, in a quick drop that tends to level out over time while cancer cells are self-destructing.  Although 0.06 is almost to the bottom of the readable scale, it might even go lower. The fact that Jim’s went to the cellar, I cannot help but to believe that all his cancer, or almost all his cancer, was contained in a small area on his prostate bed. Let’s face it; you’re going to be terribly disappointed if his PSA starts to rise (three times).  But, the fact is, you have really good reason to hope that he was cured with his one-two punch.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As you may remember, Jim completed 35 salvage IMRT radiation treatments in the beginning of October.  BTW-he did very well with almost no side effects.  His first PSA after that was taken right at the end of RT and came back at undetectable. I guess what I want to know is  this.  Should they absolutely stay at undetectable, or is it possible to have  some PSA show up and not really mean anything?  I was surprised when the PSA was undetectable so quickly and now I feel like we’re set up for real upset if they don’t stay that way. I thought radiation gave a slower result. Thanks, Linda

– Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA  .1  .1  .1  .27  .37  .75 PSA  .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 (4 mo), 12/03, 4/04, 09/04, 01/05, 5/05, 10/05, 2/06 PSA  .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 Non Illegitimi Carborundum

Response: