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Frequency of PSA test

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Posted 2/28/2021 10:10 AM (GMT -5)
I'm now 3.5 years after salvage radiation and have had an undetectable PSA ever since. How often should I be getting a PSA test at this point? Every 6 months?
Posted 2/28/2021 10:31 AM (GMT -5)
i'd say that depends on your risk, your doctor and your preference. i was intermediate to high risk and at 3.5 years i was testing every six months. i believe i went to annual testing at five years.
Posted 2/28/2021 4:58 PM (GMT -5)
I am 3 years undetectable and have it checked every 3 months. My PSA anxiety is greatly lessened so I will stay at 3 months.
Posted 2/28/2021 5:59 PM (GMT -5)
Fiddle, my RO told me after salvage that he would want a 6 month PSA until 5 years have passed.
Posted 2/28/2021 6:35 PM (GMT -5)
My MO ordered 3 month PSAs for the first 2 years after SRT. After a clean 2 years, he gave me the option to go to 6 month testing, and I accepted. He said as far as he's concerned, there's no clinical reason to keep up 3 month testing at this point, but if the patient is more comfortable staying with 3 months, he's goes along with it.
Posted 2/28/2021 7:55 PM (GMT -5)
At 2 years my uro said he was good going from 3-month to 6-months, but I should choose what I would feel comfortable with: 3, 4, or 6 (but no longer than 6). I had in mind to do the next year at 4 month intervals. I did one month at 4; then Covid pushed my next check to 6 months. At my 2 years 10 month visit my PSA was <0.014, so 6 months was looking good. But my last check, at 3 yr, 4 months went up to 0.037. My uro wanted to retest at 3 months, which will be the end of this month.

If you are high-risk, like me, your uro should be able to guide you in reaching the interval you are comfortable with, but my view is that high-risk men should space checks out no more than 6 months for a good number of years -- and certainly no less frequently than your uro advises.

Djin
Posted 3/1/2021 7:07 AM (GMT -5)
I was a surgery guy, G 3+4 on final pathology. At the time, my Uro did PSA every 3 months for the first year, then every 6 months, and told me as long as I was non-detectable, he would probably go to once a year at year 3. Then I moved across the country, and my current guy had me on 6 months until I hit year 5, now annual.

In the end, there is no hard and fast rule. It depends on the doctor's preferences, your history, your treatment decision, pathology, grading, etc.
Posted 3/1/2021 6:25 PM (GMT -5)
Just had blood draw last Friday for PSA check. I have been on 6 month schedule, will begin yearly checks if this one comes back as great as all the prior test. PSA after RALP in March 2016 basically identical each time at <.01, <.015
Very thankful for those numbers. Don't visit site too often, but it is always great to see familiar names still here.
Blessings to all,
Mack
Posted 3/1/2021 6:54 PM (GMT -5)
I'm on nine-month PSA checks, but it's been seven years since treatment for me and I had radiation as primary, not salvage treatment. I'd be a bit reluctant to go to six month intervals at 3.5 years. Maybe four month intervals for now and see how that goes for the next year. Glad you're doing well!
Posted 3/1/2021 7:26 PM (GMT -5)
fiddlecanoe - Since you had surgery and radiation and are undetectable after 3+ years, there is little benefit to monitoring every 3 months in my opinion. What are you going to do if you are 0.11 other than post here, wait for next test or retest, and otherwise kill the next 3 months?

The standard seems to be to switch to 6 month testing after two years of good results. I just switched to 6 months at 2 years and did not miss the 3 month mark at all. Probably a little more pressure on the next test result but I will worry about the day after my next test then hopefully relax for 6 more months, not 3. IMHO
Posted 3/1/2021 7:43 PM (GMT -5)
I stayed on 3 month PSA tests after SRT. I prefer more frequent tests to a longer period of not knowing what's going on.
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