PSA detected after RP

Hi,
Been a while since I posted, but wondering if anyone has thoughts on my situation.
Had my prostate removed in November of 2015 at the age of 53. PSA was 4.0. Gleason 6 before and confirmed after. 9 of 12 positive cores. Both sides of prostate affected. He did the DaVinci method. Had 1 open margin of less than 1mm. He mentioned something about a genetics test they did on the prostate afterwards too that put me at low risk for recurring pc. But seems that I keep slipping through the crarcks of all the "low risk" possibilities.
The first 4 ultra-sensitive PSA results came back undetectable. I went back this week.
He told me that up to now, the ultra sensitive test he did could detect as low as 0.03. Now the test detects as low as 0.01. My psa came in at 0.02.
So its unsure if it has been at 0.02 or so all along, or if this is new.
But am I correct in assuming there is cancer still left and eventually it will grow?
He told me if it increases 3 times (2 more) then we would consider radiation in the bed.
I am worried about the chances of it spreading outside the area in the meantime. I am going back in 3 months.
Thanks,
Tom

Thank you very much for the input. That does put me a little more at ease.
Tom

Thank you. That is good to hear. It just caught me by surprise and freaked me out a bit, but I'll hope for the best. Again I appreciate the feedback!
Tom

That's what I call "mice nuts."

(really small, and insignificant)

Stop worrying. Ultrasensitive PSA have a value shortly after surgery but after that it has minimal advantage and lead to increased anxiety in patients who have clinically meaningless rises of PSA. At a PSA threshold of 0.1  it is time to initiate salvage radiation therapy (SRT) but even that is still debatable. 0.2 is the "official" threshold. If your doctor pulls the trigger already at 3 * 0.02 = 0.06 it could be overtreatment for a Gleason 6.

TomC1962 said...

Having a mild back ache this week probably doesnt help me mentally, but I assume if it were from that, my psa would be above 0.02.

You're thinking that your back ache might be from metastasis?

Your PSA would be more like 200, or more likely 2,000.

Besides, 3+3 PC does not metastitize.

Hi everyone. First time on here. Thanks for the insight. I am 2 years after RP. My PSA numbers have been .01,.01,.01,.03,and .06. I did freak out a bit and have another test result today to see if it is still on the rise. It still seems quite low but last time my urologist seemed concerned. I am 62 and otherwise in good health. Just finished a half marathon this weekend. PSA test anxiety is alive and well here.

We can do this said...
Take a look at my post RALP PSA test results in my signature. Increased specificity can be a burden! Relax and enjoy life.

WCDT - were all these tests done t the same lab? If so, did your Dr give you a reason for the up NS down fluctuation?

I was indetectable T <.02 for two years, then my PSA came in at .02, twice, three weeks apart. 3 months later Drs office did a standard test, and it came back <.1

I was ticked off, because the standard test was useless. So he gave me a scrip to retest uPSA at a local labcorp. I've been walking around with the scrip for weeks now, afraid to test. I don't think I wanna know. I'm sick of thinking about cancer. So I'm ignoring it. Not smart, I know. But at these levels it doesn't matter they wouldn't do anything anyway.