PSA flare after initiation of abiraterone acetate.

Prostate cancer is the second-most common cause of male cancer-related death among US men. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2014 there will be about 233,000 new cases of prostate cancer and about 29,500 deaths due to prostate cancer. Sixty percent of cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 years or older. Localized prostate cancers are managed with active surveillance or external beam radiation therapy or radical prostatectomy after risk stratification. Advanced prostate cancers are managed with hormonal therapy for castrate sensitive prostate cancer and with novel androgen blocking therapies, chemotherapy, or radio-immunotherapy for castrate resistant prostate cancers. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) flare is characterized by a rise in the PSA level, followed by a decline to below baseline values after starting therapies such as androgen deprivation therapy, systemic chemotherapy, or local therapies such as brachytherapy or cryotherapy.