Scan for the Site of Prostate Cancer Relapse with Axumin
BY MARK SCHOLZ, MD PSA testing is an essential part of prostate cancer treatment, and it is done at various stages in a patient’s journey. Initial PSA screening of healthy …
Tag: PSA Relapse
Even though PSA has been questioned as a tool for screening, it’s the Gold Standard for confirming cancer recurrence. However, a PSA rise from a low-grade recurrence that may not require treatment. Determining the difference between a low-grade recurrence and a high-grade recurrence is heavily influenced by the rate of PSA doubling.
For a PSA relapse, treatment usually consists of testosterone inactivating pharmaceuticals (TIP) given intermittently. For example, after TIP is started, PSA usually drops to less than 0.1. Treatment is continued for 6 to 12 months. After TIP is stopped and the effects wear off, testosterone recovers and PSA will begin to rise. A second cycle of TIP is restarted when the PSA reaches a certain threshold (usually between 3 and 6). Immunotherapy administered during the holiday period may slow the rise in PSA and delay the need for restarting TIP.