spike in PSA 4 yrs post surgery
Hi,
I am 76 yrs old. I underwent surgical removal and radiotherapy of prostate cancer several years back. The PSA levels had more or less been low, there was once a slight uptick but the doc prescribed some medicine that made them come down. But recently there was a spike in the PSA (>3) and my doc is suggesting a PET scan followed by either hormone therapy or orchidectomy.
I am not sure what to do. Has anyone else faced this situation or have advice?
Thanks,
John C.
Hi
thanks for reaching out. While I do hope our community members respond here with their personal experiences, I wanted to share these articles from one of our advocates: https://prostatecancer.net/living/psa-after-surgery and https://prostatecancer.net/living/treatment-decision-monitoring. I can understand your concern, when does your doctor want to do the PET Scan? Jill, prostatecancer.net team 
Hello,
I am fairly new here and have not posted much at all, but I feel compelled to suggest that you do a lot of research on hormone therapy. On my doctor’s suggestion I started Lupron Depot, a testosterone blocker. I was not told of any side effects. I was not yet a member of this group. I regret not having done my homework. The side effects, for me, are pretty severe. I’ve only been getting injections for 9 months, with 9 more to go. I do not know if an orchiectomy would cause the same side effects or not. It would be a good question to ask, I think. I hope you get guidance and I wish you the best.
Dave
Typically when men learn of prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis the inclination is wanting to do something as soon as possible. Fortunately, PCa is slow-growing compared to other cancers giving you some time to ask many questions regarding treatments and the related impacts each. I had some nasty reactions to Lupron as well. Have you spoken to your MD about some possible solutions for the hot flashes etc? I was given a 6 month shot and the impacts of that lasted for 14 months. Two buds of mine received the same shot and neither r)eacted. We all react differently so you just do not know in advance how it will impact you. For the hot flashes i invested in a personal handheld fan with a built-in water spray and I also had a ceiling fan installed in the bedroom - it helped. Please continue to reach out here and let us know how you are doing. Dennis (ProstateCancer.net TEAM I have my six month follow up in April and an appointment with my family doctor the next day. I’m in Canada so things don’t move so fast. I consider hot flashes minor compared to the exhaustion, depression and general atrophy. All these are on my list to discuss. I think the depression should be dealt with for sure. Therapy is helpful, but doesn’t change the Lupron FUNK I experience regularly. My last e month injection will be in October. I’m counting the days.
You might want to check out the following on here for some additional insights ...https://prostatecancer.net/forums/hormone-therapy ... Dennis(prostatecancer.net TEAM) thank you for that.
I was interested in your comment that your doctor had previously prescribed some medicine that made your PSA come down. It would be important to know what that was. The mention of a nameless medicine made me think that you probably need a little more information and a clearer understanding of the possible future directions of your cancer. I agree that a PSMA Pet Scan is indicated to identify any significant sites of cancer near the site of your prostate removal or at sites more distant. However, then and only then, should you carefully craft a plan for treatment. A treatment such as orchiectomy can be effective at slowing the disease but you have to ask yourself how well you can handle physically and emotionally such a decision. I would strongly recommend reaching out to a support group or to others you may know that are going through this cancer. Such support may help you make a list of critical questions for your physician. But most of all, know that there is an incredible tool box of new and effective treatments to keep your cancer at bay for a long long time! So agree with you Jim - there are a lot of ways to treat this
