Hi, Ally.
Welcome to the forum.
I see you asked a similar question in another conversation:
https://community.prostatecanceruk.org/posts/t32003-Normal-PSA-level-post-Radiotherapy
Your husband's sequence of 6-monthly results (0.28, 0.21, 0.25, 0.29, 0.49) shows a a low baseline but a mild rise.
The three most likely causes for this are:
Testosterone Recovery. You mentioned that hormone therapy was stopped. As the effects of HT wear off, over the next few months/years, your natural testosterone levels begin to recover. Testosterone stimulates both healthy prostate cells and any remaining benign tissue to start producing PSA again. A gradual rise often just shows normal hormone levels returning.
PSA "Bounce": Men who have radiation therapy can experience a temporary spike in PSA levels—often called a PSA bounce. This harmless fluctuation typically occurs within the first few years after radiation and does not mean the cancer has returned. The PSA rises and then safely drops back down on its own.
Early Signs of Recurrence: A continuous, steep upward trend can sometimes indicate that microscopic prostate cancer cells are active again.
Your husband's nadir, the lowest level his PSA has dropped to, is 0.21. Recurrence is deemed Nadir +2. In your husband's case is 2.21. His last rise to 0.49 is still well below that.
Best of luck to you both, and please keep us updated. 👍
Edited by member 19 Oct 2026 at 08:17
| Reason: Typo