Question about Rising PSA.s

A friend of mine had a radical prostatectomy about a year ago.  He's still having touble with ED and incontinence at times.  He also has had PSas that while they are well within normal range have jumped since his first reading. I believe they went from .01 to .09  At what point should he insist on treatment do they wait to do radiation until it is a whole number/   We live in an area with very poorly rated medical care and I just would like to double check things for him because he's a mess.  Thanks

[Carol A]

My dad had prostate cancer about 15 years ago.  They treated with radiation and afterwards he had ED and incontinence problems. Often with Prostate Cancer doctors now recommend the "watchful waiting" approach because it is a slow growing cancer.  However, if you have poor quality medical care in your area, perhaps your friend should schedule an appointment at a large Cancer Center such as:  

University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York

Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston

Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

University of Chicago Hospitals

Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C.

UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles

University of Michigan Medical Center, Ann Arbor

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Fla.

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia

Clarian Health Partners (IU and Methodist Hospitals), Indianapolis

University of California, San Francisco Medical Center

University of North Carolina Hospitals, Chapel Hill

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Hope there is one near your friend!

Carol

[Enoch Choi]

Carol's recommended clinics that are excellent to evaluate prostate cancer.

One thing your friend should realize is PSAs tend to fluctuate from reading to reading and it takes a number of tests to be sure there's a definite trend.  That said, PSAs typically go to zero after radical prostatectomy, so he should go get re-evaluated.

Enoch Choi, MD