Blood Test Indicates Risk of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
ROCHESTER, MINN. -- A blood test may be an important predictor of the recurrence of cancer in men who have had their prostate surgically removed, reports the October issue of Mayo Clinic Health Letter.
The test measures how fast prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increases in the blood.
Mayo Clinic researchers found that when PSA levels doubled in six months or less, 62 percent of the men in the study had recurrent cancer. Cancer recurred in just 13 percent of the men whose PSA levels hadn't doubled within 10 years.
Knowing how fast the PSA level is increasing can help physicians determine appropriate treatment after prostate cancer surgery. Men with fast-increasing PSA levels may consider radiation or hormone therapy to prevent cancer recurrence. For those with stable or slowly increasing PSA levels, watchful waiting may be more appropriate.
Mayo Clinic Health Letter is an eight-page, monthly newsletter of reliable, accurate and practical information on today's health and medical news. To subscribe, please call toll-free 800-333-9037 and mention ordering code 9PR1.
Shelly Plutowski507-284-2417 (days)507-284-2511 (evenings)[email protected]
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