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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- An increase and then a decline -- or "bounce" -- in the PSA level of a prostate cancer patient after treatment does not affect overall survival, according to new research.
Doctors have noticed for several years that some prostate cancer patients see their PSA numbers increase and then drop after radiation treatment, according to background information provided in a new study from Fox Chase Cancer Center. Researchers there wanted to know what a PSA bounce means.
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PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, is a protein produced by both healthy and cancerous prostate cells. A higher level is a possible indicator of cancer.
Investigators studied information on more than 7,500 men with prostate cancer who were treated with either external-beam radiation or seed implants. The data on these men spanned an average of 10 years.
Researchers looked at the men who experienced a PSA bounce and compared their outcomes with other patients. They report while many men do experience a bounce within one to three years after treatment, there is no difference in overall survival of patients who had a bounce and those who did not.
Study authors also report no difference in other clinical outcomes including the cancer spreading or biochemical failure.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: The 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Philadelphia, Nov. 5-9, 2006
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