G'day,   I don't wander in here often either, after initially telling my story, but I do have a look from time to time. Anyways...I guess I'm technically still a patient, I underwent a radical prostatectomy seven years ago at age 52. It wasn't entirely successful and my PSA never fell to anywhere near zero. I then underwent salvage radiotherapy, I think it was 34 sessions, in early 2016. PSA then fell enough to allow my follow-ups from 2017 to be spaced out to annually. My PSA nadir was  0.04 in mid 2018. It has been rising since, I am now on 3-monthly blood tests and follow ups and officially have what is called a biochemical recurrence. I have undergone two PET scans since early 2021 which showed nothing, and my latest PSA reading is 0.43, which is still a small number but is a 10-fold increase in 4 years. The last two results have actually shown that the reading is plateauing, but it is still rising. I am now facing the prospect of starting hormone therapy in 3 or 6 months time, depending on my next reading and possibly another scan, although I can insist on starting it anytime I wish. I am symptom free, but live with the common side effects of the surgery and the radiation. ... View more

G'day folks, I didn't realise how long it had been since the last update!   My PSA is now up to 0.38, I had another PET scan in March that still didn't reveal anything, and I am getting closer and closer to hormone therapy, which is making me angry because of what is in store for me. I get a PSA blood test and see my oncologist every three months, but the appointment to discuss the results of the PET scan was an extra. It was with a stand-in and he gave the impression that hormone treatment was imminent. He even named the drug - Zoladex 10.8mg subcutaneous injections every 12 weeks. This annoyed me, not because it was going to be necessary, but because of the known side effects. Out of all the possible options, this is the one I most want to avoid.   I have seen my regular oncologist since then and because of the very small rise in PSA since my last blood test, he is comfortable with not starting treatment. Seems like he and his offsider are not on the same page. I understand that he is wanting to hold off with androgen deprivation hormone therapy for as long as possible because of the nasty side effects, but he is unwilling to consider alternatives such as anti-androgen monotherapy (which is common in other countries) that don't come with those side effects! That's the bit that makes me angry.   I hope I don't sound disparaging here, but it seems like because most victims of recurrent or advanced prostate cancer are elderly gentlemen sitting at home wearing cardigans and fluffy slippers and they are able to mitigate hot flushes and don't care about loss of libido, treatment with LHRH agonists such as Zoladex is used universally here even though it doesn't suit younger victims like myself who are still working full time in blue collar jobs, where it is not possible to mitigate hot flushes for example. Not to mention loss of libido. It also angers me that any side effects from ADT that I find intolerable, are expected to be dealt with by my GP. Handball!   Sorry for the rant.   ... View more

Another update.   My PET scan results came back as 'all clear' which is awesome news, but it doesn't satisfy me. I know that there are still some cancer cells doing their thing in their host/my body so it is only a matter of time before they are actually found and I can do something about it. In the meantime I will get 3-monthly blood tests for PSA and see how long it takes for my reading to double. Then I will go through the whole process again. ... View more

So, I had a follow up appointment with my oncologist today after yet another blood test. My PSA has risen again, albeit marginally, from 0.16 to 0.19 over the past three months. Still going in the wrong direction! It is pretty obvious however that there are some residual cancer cells lurking somewhere.   I will now undergo a PET scan, even though at this low level there is still only a 50/50 chance of anything being detected,  and have another follow up appointment within the next 3 weeks.    I had been preparing myself mentally for hormone therapy but apparently that is not something that might actually be happening soon. If cells are detected from the PET scan and it is confined to nodes, radiation to that area will be the applicable treatment. If nothing is detected, treatment will not begin yet. If cells are detected anywhere else, hormone treatment will probably begin.    I have done plenty of research over the past few months and even though I ended up realising that  I had probably got way too far ahead of myself, my oncologist seemed to appreciate that we could talk in the same language regarding future treatment. I am a bit disappointed however that if the day comes that I do need hormone therapy, my preferred regime (based on the side effects that I most want to avoid) was dismissed as something "not normally done" and left at that.  Interestingly though, he stated that PSA  level is not the holus bolus  when dealing with someone in my position - with a biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer.  ... View more

I'm sorry if this comes across as a bit brusque, but of course you should see a doctor.   If you are concerned enough to join a cancer forum and ask questions, you already know how serious your situation could be. If it turns out to be nothing, wouldn't it actually be good to know that?   Please, make an appointment ASAP. ... View more

No probs mate.   I waited for over 5 months, between the time I was diagnosed and the time I had surgery. I would have been happy to wait even longer but it was the spike in my PSA that decided things for me.   The reason I was happy to wait is because I realised that I probably already had the cancer for a couple of years before I was actually diagnosed, my PSA was only rising gradually, and I had absolutely no symptoms. But, just maybe, if I did get my prostate removed as soon as I was diagnosed, then I wouldn't have the recurrence now. We will never know. I don't regret my choices however.   It is a very personal choice when to decide to go ahead with surgery, about the only other thing I can suggest is to do as much research as you can, to get your head around it. In a way it is similar for me, as I previously said I might be looking at hormone treatment in the months ahead and I have become so familiar with the different 'families' of drugs available, which work in different ways, that I even have a preferred strategy and medication in mind...and I haven't even discussed it with my oncologist yet! At least when I do have that discussion with him, I will feel confident that I can make an informed decision straight away. ... View more

Hi there,   Prostate cancer is not the end of the world. I was only 52 when I was finally diagnosed, after a couple of years of higher than average PSA results and three biopsies. After that, my PSA got to 10.6 which is still a small number compared to some people, but this was a sharp increase from the previous test so I had my prostate removed then. That was 5 1/2 years ago. Life has been pretty much normal since then. Sure, there have been some changes to lifestyle but nothing has hindered my ability to get on with my life. I am still working full time in a physical job.   A trend has developed with my PSA tests over the past 2 years; my PSA is rising again but it is still too low to do anything about yet. My next appointment with my oncologist is next month, if my PSA hits the trigger of 0.2 then maybe a scan will be done and I might be getting put on some sort of hormone treatment after that.   None of this scares me. Over the whole journey I have always felt normal.   Cheers! ... View more

G'day sch, thanks for replying.   I've never actually felt unwell! I'm still hoping to hear of other members experiences of hormone therapy for recurrent prostate cancer, to try and get my head around what might be in store for me. ... View more