PSA Rising

…whatever that means…

Every man—with or without a prostate—would like a PSA of zero or close to zero. For many prostate cancer survivors (like me) there can be a gradual PSA increase over the years. I have had regular PSA testing for the past 10 years. For more than eight of those years my PSA has stayed about the same; somewhere around four. This was before, during, and after treatment (there were brief dips after surgery and radiation). Zero would have been better but I can live with four. I have lived with four.

Then, in a 12-month period, my PSA started to rise. I switched medications. It kept right on inching up. Five wasn't so bad but in a couple months it was eight. A few months later it was 12, then 13, and finally (I hope) 14. It seems to be stabilized for the moment. Why does this happen? How does this happen? What does it mean? Nobody seems to know. It just happens. What I do know is that the next generation of medications will be a lot more spendy (spendy is a well-known medical term) and with no guarantees.

There doesn't seem to be a consensus about when a PSA number is “high” or “of concern” or “critical.” PSA numbers can range from zero to 2,000 or more. Lower is better, of course, but how high is high? As long as I wake up every morning (not early), walk to the bathroom by myself, visit friends, walk to the mailbox (and back), and drink a glass or two of wine I’ll consider my numbers to be in the “normal range.”

axman