Lane Brennan
When levels of prostate specific antigen [PSA] begin to rise, the general meaning is that antibodies are increased to fight some kind of irritation or disease. The existence of a tumor, benign or otherwise, is a common reason for a rise in the PSA or antibody level. A 'normal' PSA reading is between ) and 4.0. When that reading begins to rise over 4, you doctor will likely express concern and often suggest a biopsy of parts of the prostate. When my PSA became elevated, a biopsy was performed. It showed nothing [not unusual]. However, when retested 6 months later, a malignant tumor was discovered. Once diagnosed, the treatment options are several, including doing nothing. Because of the size of my particular tumor plus an estimate of its aggressiveness [called the Gleason Rating], I elected for radioactive seed implantation. This was 2 years ago. My PSA, which was slightly above 6 at the time of the implantation, dropped to zero and has stayed there. Before deciding what you want to do about your rising PSA, you should definitely get another opinion.