Renowned genitourinary medical oncologist Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH, highlights two key reasons why physicians may not have acted on rapidly rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men with prostate cancer. Firstly, she notes that a lack of reliable calculations of PSA doubling time led to overestimation, resulting in understated disease aggressiveness.
To address this issue, Morgans emphasizes the importance of reliable medical education around recent approvals for biochemical recurrent state treatment. The EMBARK trial’s findings, which demonstrated the efficacy of systemic treatments like enzalutamide in prolonging metastasis-free survival and quality of life, are a significant breakthrough. However, Morgans stresses that physicians must overcome educational barriers and apply these treatments judiciously, making informed decisions with patients after shared consideration of treatment appropriateness.
Morgans is the author of the study “Impact of Physicians’ Awareness of Prostate-Specific Antigen Doubling Time (PSADT) on Treatment (Tx) Decisions in High-Risk Biochemically Recurrent Prostate Cancer (PC),” presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
Source: https://www.urologytimes.com/view/overcoming-barriers-to-acting-on-rapidly-rising-psa-in-biochemically-recurrent-prostate-cancer