Doctors and researchers are rethinking how to interpret PSA or prostate-specific antigen numbers for men when it comes to prostate cancer and prostate health.
Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach where there are strict cutoffs for concern based on specific numbers, today doctors look at the PSA blood test scores as just one piece of a man’s overall health.
According to the experts at the CyberKnife Center of Miami, a state-of-the-art, free-standing radiation cancer treatment center in South Florida, there are age-specific thresholds and the need to repeat the PSA blood test before doing an invasive biopsy.
Plus, doctors today may look to do other tests when assessing a patient for prostate cancer before doing any invasive procedures.
Those tests include a prostate MRI, a 4Kscore test – a blood test looking for markers that predict the risk of aggressive cancer, and a PSA density, which adjusts the PSA score based on the size of a man’s prostate gland.
Doctors also engage in what’s called shared decision making to help patients make informed decisions by creating a full picture of their prostate health not just a snap shot based on a specific PSA test.
“Normal” PSA Numbers
According to Prostate Cancer Research, normal PSA levels are age dependent. So, a normal PSA level for a man in his forties is lower than a man in his seventies.
As general guidance:
- For men between 50 and 59 a normal range is up to 3 ng/ml.
- For men 60-69 normal is up to 4 ng/ml.
- For men 70-79 normal is up to 5 ng/ml.
However, if you have a PSA blood test and your levels are elevated, that does not automatically mean you have prostate cancer.
In fact, three out of four men with higher-than-normal PSA levels do not have cancer.
The increased level is likely due to other common prostate issues such as prostatitis or a urinary infection. Keep in mind, participating in sports, sexual activity and even certain medications can affect your PSA level. However, if you’re levels are rising, talk to your doctor about additional screening.
And remember, a PSA level can also miss prostate cancer. In fact, PSA testing misses one in seven cases.
So, one PSA test isn’t all doctors will look at to determine any further testing.
PSA Levels Pre-and-Post-Cancer Treatment
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, PSA levels take on different meanings during and after treatment.
PSA levels are used to monitor how effective the treatment is and detect any recurrence. However, the American Cancer Society says PSA levels can fluctuate, meaning they are only one indicator of what’s happening inside your body.
For men who opt for surgery to remove the prostate, PSA levels should drop to low or even undetectable levels a few months after treatment. A rising PSA after that point can indicate recurrence. That’s why monitoring is important.
Doctors will watch for how fast PSA levels rise as an indication there could be reason for concern. Research suggests men who have a shorter PSA doubling time – which is the time it takes for the PSA levels to double – have a worse outlook compared to men with a longer doubling time.
For men who opt for radiation to treat their cancer, PSA levels tend to drop slowly after treatment and may not plateau to their lowest levels until two years post treatment. But the normal cells in the prostate will continue to make some PSA.
With radiation patients, doctors look for trends in PSA levels after treatment. A one-time rise may not mean the cancer is still there or it has recurred. But repeated testing indicating a rise in levels could be concerning. Doctors also watch for those PSA doubling times. The faster the doubling time, generally the more cause for concern.
There can also be what’s called a PSA bounce with external beam radiation. \In these cases, the PSA levels rise for the first few years after treatment, then go back down. Doctors don’t know why this phenomenon occurs.
CyberKnife for Prostate Cancer
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have treatment options.
The experts at CyberKnife Miami believe stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) — the type of radiation CyberKnife uses to treat prostate cancer — has some distinct advantages, and is now considered standard treatment of care. Some prostate cancer experts call CyberKnife the Gold Standard Treatment, and it is often the number one treatment choice for patients that qualify for it.
CyberKnife is cutting-edge radiation technology. It kills prostate tumors with precise, pinpointed accuracy, and it leaves the surrounding healthy tissue unharmed.
“CyberKnife is the most sophisticated and refined way to treat most tumors,” Dr. Mark Pomper, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of CyberKnife Miami says on CyberKnife Miami’s YouTube Channel.
CyberKnife alone can treat prostate cancer, especially if it’s low grade and localized to the prostate. CyberKnife has lower risks of long-term side effects including incontinence or erectile disfunction when compared to traditional radiation and surgical options.
Plus, CyberKnife treatments take less time than other forms of radiation. With CyberKnife, treatment lasts10 days because of its high-dose, pinpointed radiation. CyberKnife can also be used in combination with hormone therapy for cancers that have grown beyond the prostate.
CyberKnife Miami for Prostate Cancer Treatment
At CyberKnife Miami, we have successfully treated hundreds of prostate cancer patients from across the country and right here in South Florida with excellent results.
Our goal is to partner with you through your treatment journey and make sure you are as comfortable and as informed as possible.
If you would like to find out more about prostate cancer treatment with CyberKnife, call our team at 305-279-2900 or go to our prostate cancer website now for more information.