Is salvage radiotherapy helpful to manage rising PSA post radical prostatectomy? Can it be accompanied by simultaneous short-term androgen suppression? A study published in May 2016 in Lancet Oncology tries to find the answer to these questions. It is not very uncommon to find a rising PSA level after radical prostatectomy. About 25-33% of men with prostate cancer will experience a recurrence of their cancer after surgery or radiation.
Some of these refer to a non-increasing very low level of PSA due to prostate tissue left behind after surgery. This can still be cured with radiation after surgery, or with other local therapies after radiation. In other cases, it might be indicating a lymph node or bone metastasis with a poor prognosis. Generally, a PSA> 0.2ng/dl indicates an event referred as biochemical recurrence or stage D 1.5 of the disease. Aim of the study How to treat rising…
