Can you have psa without prostate

After radiation therapy, the most widely accepted definition is a PSA that rises from the lowest level nadir by 2. PSA bounces typically occur between 12 months and 2 years following the end of initial therapy. This is a gray area that requires a lot of input from your team, possibly including your urologist, radiation oncologist and medical oncologist to help you decide on the best course of treatment. For more information, including a list of questions to ask your doctor if your PSA is rising after initial treatment, download or order a print copy of the Prostate Cancer Patient Guide.

For the majority of men, prostate cancer is treatable and curable and does not come back after initial treatment. In itself, this is a monumental accomplishment that can Ask about the possible risks and benefits. Men under 50 or over 75 rarely need a PSA test, unless they have a high risk for prostate cancer.

This report is for you to use when talking with your healthcare provider. It is not a substitute for medical advice and treatment. Use of this report is at your own risk. Developed in cooperation with the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Additional Resources. Higher levels of this protein can indicate a problem with prostate health, including prostate cancer. One treatment option for prostate cancer is a prostatectomy.

During a radical prostatectomy, a surgeon will remove the prostate as well as some of the tissue around the gland. After a prostatectomy, it is normal for a person to continue having regular PSA tests.

This helps doctors check that the surgical team removed the cancer successfully, and that it has not returned.

In this article, we discuss why PSA testing is important after a prostatectomy and what the results can mean. We also cover treatment and prevention of rising PSA levels. It is possible for prostate cancer to return after a prostatectomy. One study from suggests that prostate cancer recurs in around 20—40 percent of men within 10 years of having a radical prostatectomy.

Although surgeons remove the prostate gland during a prostatectomy, some cancer cells can travel into the surrounding tissue. If these cancer cells multiply, they can cause prostate cancer to return. PSA testing can help doctors find and treat prostate cancer early. This is why they offer PSA testing, along with other tests, to people after they have treatment for prostate cancer.

PSA levels change over time and tend to rise with age. They also vary slightly between individuals. However, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation , normal levels are within the following ranges:. This is because tests can still detect PSA in the blood after a prostatectomy during this period.

After treatment, people expect their PSA levels to be very low. In many cases, levels of PSA in the blood will be undetectable. However, if testing does detect PSA after a prostatectomy, this does not mean that cancer has returned.

Noncancerous cells can also make PSA. A doctor can advise on whether a person needs further testing or treatment. But to judge the benefit of the test, it's important to know if early detection and early treatment will improve treatment outcomes and decrease the number of deaths from prostate cancer. A key issue is the typical course of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer usually progresses slowly over many years. Therefore, it's possible to have prostate cancer that never causes symptoms or becomes a medical problem during your lifetime.

The potential risks of the PSA test are essentially related to the choices you make based on the test results, such as the decision to undergo further testing and treatment for prostate cancer. The risks include:. A nurse or medical technician will use a needle to draw blood from a vein, most likely in your arm.

The blood sample is then analyzed in the lab to measure your PSA level. There's no specific cutoff point between a normal and an abnormal PSA level. Your doctor might recommend a prostate biopsy based on results of your PSA test. Your doctor might use other ways of interpreting PSA results before deciding whether to order a biopsy to test for cancerous tissue. These other methods are intended to improve the accuracy of the PSA test as a screening tool. Researchers continue to investigate variations of the PSA test to determine whether they provide a measurable benefit.

Before getting a PSA test, talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks. If you decide that a PSA test is right for you, ask your doctor:. Discussing these issues beforehand may make it easier for you to learn the results of your test and make appropriate decisions afterward. Explore Mayo Clinic studies of tests and procedures to help prevent, detect, treat or manage conditions.

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