Prostate Cancer

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Treating Prostate Cancer TOPICS

Following PSA levels during and after treatment

A man’s prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood level is often a good indicator of how effective treatment is or has been. Generally speaking, your PSA level should get very low after treatment. But PSA results aren’t always cut and dry, and sometimes doctors aren’t sure what they mean.

Before starting treatment, you might want to ask your doctor what he or she expects your PSA level to be during and after treatment, and what levels might be a cause for concern. It’s important to know that the PSA level is only one part of the overall picture. Other factors can also play a role in determining if cancer is still there, if it has come back, or if it is growing.

It’s also important to know that PSA levels can sometimes fluctuate a bit on their own. Many men being treated for prostate cancer are very concerned about even very small changes in their PSA levels. The PSA level is an important tool to monitor the cancer, but not every rise in PSA means that the cancer is growing and requires treatment right away. To help avoid possibly unnecessary anxiety, be sure you understand what level of change in PSA your doctor might be concerned about.

During active surveillance

If you choose active surveillance, your PSA level will be monitored closely (most likely along with other tests) to help decide whether the cancer is growing and if active treatment should be considered. (See the section “Expectant management (watchful waiting) and active surveillance” for more details.)

Your doctor will pay attention to both the PSA level itself and how quickly it is rising. Not all doctors agree on exactly what PSA levels might require further action (such as a prostate biopsy or treatment). Again, talk to your doctor so you understand what change in your PSA might be considered cause for concern.

After surgery


Some men might worry if their PSA is still detectable even at a very low level after surgery, but this does not always mean there is still cancer in the body. Modern PSA blood tests can detect even tiny amounts of PSA, but these amounts might not always be significant, especially if they are not rising over time. It could just mean that you have some cells in the body making PSA, but these aren’t necessarily cancer cells.

Still, having any detectable PSA after surgery can be stressful for patients and their families. If your PSA is still detectable after surgery, even at a very low level, talk to your doctor about what it might mean, and what he or she thinks the best course of action is. Some doctors advise following such low PSA levels over time to get a better idea of what is going on, possibly with repeat tests every few months. Other doctors might be more inclined to recommend further treatment.

After radiation therapy

The different types of radiation therapy don’t kill all of the cells in the prostate gland, so they’re not expected to cause the PSA to drop to an undetectable level. The remaining normal prostate cells will still make some PSA.

The pattern of the drop in PSA is also different from after surgery. PSA levels after radiation tend to drop gradually, and may not reach their lowest level until 2 years or more after treatment.

Doctors tend to follow the PSA levels every few months to look for trends. A one-time, small rise in PSA might be a cause for closer monitoring, but it might not mean that the cancer has returned, as PSA levels can fluctuate slightly from time to time. However, a PSA that is rising on consecutive tests after treatment might indicate that cancer is still there. Some medical groups have proposed that if the PSA rises more than 2 ng/mL above the lowest level it reached, further treatment should be considered, but it’s not clear if all doctors agree with this.

There is also a phenomenon called a PSA bounce that sometimes happens after brachytherapy. The PSA rises slightly for a short time within the first couple of years after treatment, but then goes back down. Doctors aren’t sure why this happens, but it doesn’t seem to affect a man’s prognosis.

During treatment for advanced prostate cancer

When treatments such as hormone therapy, chemotherapy, or vaccine therapy are used for more advanced prostate cancer, the PSA level can help show how well the treatment is working or when it might be time to try a different treatment.

Treatments should lower the PSA level (at least at first), although in some cases they may just help keep it from rising further, or even just slow the rise. Of course, other factors, such as whether you’re having symptoms from your cancer and whether it is growing based on imaging tests, are also important when deciding if it might be time to change treatments.

If the cancer has spread outside the prostate, the actual PSA level is often not as important as whether it changes, and how quickly it changes. The PSA level itself does not predict whether or not a man will have symptoms or how long he will live. Many men have very high PSA values and feel just fine. Other men have low values and have symptoms.

Last Medical Review: 12/22/2014
Last Revised: 03/12/2015