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6 months post IMRT

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Prostate Cancer
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Posted 12/13/2022 2:09 PM (GMT -5)
Three months after concluding RT my RO did a US PSA which came back at .053. Was still on Lupron then (T <3).

6 Month Lupron Depot taken April 1, so starting to see it wear off somewhat.

Just followed up with URO who ordered a standard PSA and no T test. PSA came back at .6
To make thing more interesting, the lab (Labcorp) used a different method this time. Had been Roche ECLIA on all my previous tests, this time was Siemens Vista.

I know this horse has been beaten to death over different methodologies testing sites etc, but this is frustrating. From .053 to .6 is a 10-fold increase in three months. Tell me I'm reading too much into this (or not). I see the URO next Monday 12/19.

PS - I F'ING HATE life on Lupron. I won't take any more unless they tell me I'm gonna die.
Posted 12/13/2022 2:45 PM (GMT -5)
BB…I don’t believe you can put too much stock into either PSA test just yet. The original check was clearly impacted by the Lupron an possibly the second test as well. I did not have any ADT treatment and you can see that my PSA values took a couple years to settle down. It’s a marathon.
Posted 12/13/2022 8:22 PM (GMT 0)
You still have a prostate. effects of the ADT wearing off.

I have taken 4.5 yrs to get below 0.5, but did not have ADT during my treatment.

Hang in there and ask your RO what you should expect.

What RT did you get, # fractions and dose/fraction?
Posted 12/13/2022 3:45 PM (GMT -5)

Turboz said...
You still have a prostate. effects of the ADT wearing off.

I have taken 4.5 yrs to get below 0.5, but did not have ADT during my treatment.

Hang in there and ask your RO what you should expect.

What RT did you get, # fractions and dose/fraction?

I had 28 treatments. I really do not know what the dosage was, but I think they nuked it pretty good. FWIW I have ZERO ejaculate now. Zip, nothing, nada.
Posted 12/13/2022 4:20 PM (GMT -5)
You should ask you RO for more details, he should be able to provide the total dosage, # of fractions ( 28) and dose per fraction.

Yes I dont have much any more either, they treated the whole gland, plus 7 mm margin anteritally and 5 mm posterailly and also treated the seminal vesicals, so not much sauce anymore, but still works;)
Posted 12/13/2022 6:11 PM (GMT -5)
Result is not unexpected as has been explained above.
For now, try to relax and wait for another PSA test in three or six months. Easier said than done, I know.
Posted 12/17/2022 4:07 AM (GMT -5)
BB, very few men have undetectable PSA after radiation as the initial treatment. As Turboz noted that you still have the prostate and should expect it to express some PSA. Your initial drop to the very low point was due to the Lupron and the recent reading should not be of concern. For the longer haul you want the PSA to stabilize at or below 2.0. As Turboz experienced, it can take a long time for the PSA to stabilize at a low level. As to low or no ejaculate, your experience is normal. Mine is diminished by at least 75%, normal for the effect of radiation, though there are some men that report no change. Remember, all surgery guys have no ejaculate.

Apart from the bad effects of Lupron, how are you doing regarding any lingering radiation side effects?
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