I said, no, I just thought I'd come in. Ben's PSA was 23. Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells and shrinks tumors. Recommended for men 70 and older with a long life expectancy, it has the possibility of fewer long-term side effects, such as incontinence and impotency, than radical prostatectomy. But there is a higher risk of cancer returning over the long run.
Hormone therapy decreases the level of testosterone, which helps prostate tumors grow.
Once the amount of testosterone in the body is reduced, the tumor usually shrinks. Radiation therapy was prescribed for Ben. Over the course of several months, his PSA level dropped to 17. But, as sometimes happens, a regular PSA check in 1998 indicated that the cancer had returned. Ben's PSA had shot up to 40.