PSA Below 0.2 ng/mL Cuts Death Risk 54% in 4,890 Men With Metastatic Prostate Cancer
Updated
Updated · BIOENGINEER.ORG · Aug 10
PSA Below 0.2 ng/mL Cuts Death Risk 54% in 4,890 Men With Metastatic Prostate Cancer
3 articles · Updated · BIOENGINEER.ORG · Aug 10
Summary
A real-world study of 4,890 Veterans Health Administration patients found men whose PSA fell below 0.2 ng/mL within nine months of therapy were 54% less likely to die during follow-up.
The survival signal was stronger than a 90% PSA drop alone: patients who achieved that percentage decline without getting below 0.2 ng/mL showed no significant survival benefit.
Researchers tracked men treated from 2018 to 2023 for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, with 896 deaths over a median follow-up of about two years.
Combination treatment with androgen-deprivation therapy plus another androgen-blocking drug was more likely to drive PSA below 0.2 ng/mL than hormone suppression alone.
The authors said the threshold could help flag patients for closer monitoring or earlier treatment escalation, while stressing the observational study does not prove forcing PSA lower will extend survival.