Prostate specific antigen levels in the follow up of XXXX : how does radiotherapy compare to radical prostatectomy?

@entity5 @entity1 @entity263
This study aimed to evaluate @entity5 progression as assessed by PSA level of curative treatment for @entity263 by either radiotherapy or prostatectomy. From 1987 to 1993, 180 @entity1 were treated for clinically @entity263 either by radiotherapy or prostatectomy. One hundred and five @entity1 with clinical T1T2N0M0 were eligible for this study. Forty five underwent external beam radiotherapy and 60 had a radical prostatectomy. After radiotherapy PSA slowly decreased to reach a nadir 18 months after treatment. Any subsequent increase from this lowest post treatment level is associated with @entity5 progression. After radical prostatectomy PSA becomes undetectable and any increase will be regarded as evidence of @entity5 progression. The median PSA level before treatment and the median length of follow-up were comparable for the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference in overall survival and biological evidence of disease progression at 5 y. Analysis of the evolution of median PSA level shows a progressive decline during the 4 y after radiotherapy. After radical prostatectomy PSA become undetectable, 4 y after treatment PSA levels become comparable in the two groups. The biochemical free survival was 60% for the prostatectomy group and 62% for the radiotherapy group. PSA is an effective marker of @entity5 progression after surgery or radiotherapy for @entity263 . In our retrospective study recurrence rates at 5 y were not significant but direct comparisons are limited due to the Gleason score of the two groups. PSA levels can take up to 4 y to reach a nadir after radiotherapy.
