Prostate cancer prognosis linked to prostate-specific antigen levels below threshold
After treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, a drop in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in the blood is an indicator that treatment is working. A recent real-world study indicates that reaching a PSA level below 0.2 ng/mL is an indicator of improved patient survival. The study is published online in CANCER.
A recent study published in CANCER reveals that achieving a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level below 0.2 ng/mL within nine months of treatment for metastatic prostate cancer is linked to improved patient survival rates. The study, conducted using Veterans Health Administration data on 4,890 patients who received testosterone deprivation therapy, found that those who reached a PSA level below 0.2 ng/mL were 54% less likely to die compared to those who did not.
However, patients who experienced a 90% or greater PSA decline but did not reach the 0.2 ng/mL threshold had no improvement in survival. The findings suggest that targeting a PSA level below 0.2 ng/mL as a metric of success could optimize outcomes for patients with metastatic prostate cancer. According to corresponding author Stephen J. Freedland, M.D., lower PSA levels are crucial to improving patient outcomes and more aggressive treatments may be warranted for those who do not achieve this threshold.
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