Interesting words on PSA Anxiety from Dr Paul Schellhammer, past president of ther American Urologic Association, past president of the American Board of Urology, past president of the Society of Urological Oncology, and a prostate cancer survivor:
Studies have shown that most prostate cancer patients indicate they do not
mind being otherwise sick as long as their PSA readings are good. In other
words, their PSA number has become more important to them than their quality
of life. This should not be the case. Physicians recognize that a rise in
the PSA level, though it likely indicates disease activity, does not
necessarily mean that immediate treatment is necessary. It may take months,
even years, for the disease to cause symptoms, and indeed symptoms or
problems may never appear! This is a difficult situation with which most
prostate cancer patients feel uncomfortable, and understandably so. While we
all face a ticking clock and know in the back of our minds that someday
death will arrive, a rising PSA is a forceful reminder that the clock is
ticking and why it's ticking. This is disturbing and unsettling. Almost
everyone has had the experience of being sick and then recovering. But this
is not the same as facing a rising PSA. The increasing number places a
known impediment to the quality and perceived duration of life. The clock is
no longer remote. The enemy has entered the gates and there is an
overwhelming desire to do something to block the PSA rise, and thrust the
enemy aside.
Please do note the use of words "does not necessarily mean", and "may". Each case is different, and needs different anaylsis and decision making. In the words of Dr Charles "Snuffy" Myers, "treating prostate cancer is a lot like golf because you need to play it as it lies."