I had stage 2C Gleason 6, PSA 3.9 PCA late 2006. RP 1-24-07. Using the quest 6791N (immulite 2000) PSA/PAP test, my PSA was undetectable until a .02 in 3-09. It then went down to undetectable, then .01 and now .02. At the same time, my continence & ED have got much better. Could this be benign nerve recovery making PSA? Is there a PSA level where I should seek further treatment?
There is no link between nerve activity and PSA. Your PSA is pattern does not yet signal cancer recurrence. I would look for a PSA pattern showing a classic doubling time with at least four values in a row showing an increasing trend. For example, a series of values that went 0.01, 0.02, 0.04, 0.08 done every 3 months shows a PSA doubling time and would strongly suggest recurrent cancer. I would also say that you should repeat your PSA at least every three months at this point, because you may be in the early stages of cancer recurrence. If so, you want to detect it early. Treatments, such as salvage radiation, are much more effective while the PSA is still low.
