Abstract
After surgery patients are monitored for recurrence by monitoring Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels at a follow-up clinic appointment at 6 weeks. At their clinic appointment, patients are assessed for recurrence of cancer. PSA is an enzyme produced by the prostate gland. PSA is generally checked every 3 months for the first year, then every 6 months for the next 3 years, as per guidance from the European Association of Urology [1]. Post radical surgery, a PSA of greater than 0.1 ng/mL is indicative of ‘biochemical,’ recurrence. This is interpreted to mean recurrence of cancer. As part of standard follow-up psychosexual concerns are rarely directly addressed.
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After surgery patients are monitored for recurrence by monitoring Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels at a follow-up clinic appointment at 6 weeks. At their clinic appointment, patients are assessed for recurrence of cancer. PSA is an enzyme produced by the prostate gland. PSA is generally checked every 3 months for the first year, then every 6 months for the next 3 years, as per guidance from the European Association of Urology [1]. Post radical surgery, a PSA of greater than 0.1 ng/mL is indicative of ‘biochemical,’ recurrence. This is interpreted to mean recurrence of cancer. As part of standard follow-up psychosexual concerns are rarely directly addressed.
Current National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance specifies patients should have access to erectile dysfunction services early [2]. Additionally, they also specify patients should have access to medical therapy, if they require it, or alternative treatments [2]. However, in most centres, psychosexual care is not addressed as part of current follow-up [2].
References
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Graham J, Kirkbride P, Cann K, Hasler E, Prettyjohns M. Prostate cancer: summary of updated nice guidance. BMJ (Online). 2014;348:f7524.
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Goonewardene, S.S., Persad, R. (2018). Post Treatment Monitoring for Recurrence: The ‘Usual Pathway’. In: Prostate Cancer Survivorship . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65358-7_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65358-7_11
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