title: A stochastic model for prostate-specific antigen levels.
abstract: We introduce a continuous stochastic model for the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels following radiotherapy and derive solutions for the associated partial differential (Kolmogorov-Chapman) equation. The solutions describe the evolution of the time-dependent density for PSA levels which take into account an absorbing condition along the boundary and various initial conditions. We include implications for single-dose and multi-dose radiation treatment regimens and discuss parameter estimation and sensitivity issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mathematics, University of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Avenue, MAIL# OSS 201, St. Paul, MN 55105-1079, USA. pwdayananda@stthomas.edu
authors.forename: P W A
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Dayananda
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Kemper
authors.forename: Mikhail M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Shvartsman
mesh_terms: D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D013269:Stochastic Processes; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen