Here’s what I’ve gleaned from this source:
“PSA is very sensitive in detecting any recurrence of cancer. That’s because only prostate cells make PSA—so if it goes up after a radical prostatectomy, it means prostate cells are still present somewhere. For all intents and purposes, it means that a few cells escaped the prostate before it was removed, and now have grown to the point where they’re producing enough PSA to be detected.”
“Fortunately, for most men with organ-confined cancer, this never happens. However, for men who had more advanced disease at the time of surgery, the return of PSA is extremely frightening.”
“The first thing many patients want to know is, how long are they going to live?
And the first thing many doctors want to know is, when should they begin treatment, and how should they treat these patients?
Does the man have a local recurrence of cancer that would respond to radiation, or does this represent micrometastases to lymph nodes and bone?”
“On average, it took eight years from the time a man’s PSA first went up until he developed metastatic disease—which suggests that there is no need to panic at the first sign of a rise in PSA.”