High PSA Results 2 years post surgery

Post RALP PSA tests have always baffled me. As you can see, a couple years after surgery my PSA rose to .03 then fell to .02 and the most recent test came back at .01 at 39 months. Go figure. At this point I feel comfortable getting tested twice a year. I would have to see a definite trend above .05 before I would consider secondary treatment. At .03 I worried over nothing. I like the ultrasensitive tests but they sure can provoke some needless anxiety. Your numbers are very low. I don't waste time thinking about my psa any more until it's time for the next test.

Those are some low numbers.

My test results also say <3.5. My GP explained that the report does not care whether the test is for pre diagnosis or post treatment. All the test does is measure PSA. That <3.5 is nothing more than a flag for pre-diagnosis interpretations. (Whether he knows what he's talking about or not, I honestly don't know.)

If you're going to treat at any measurable PSA at all, now would be the time. It can't get much lower than it is now without it being zero.

I personally figure that at some point, I'll probably need to treat. However, given the fact that these medical treatments are not risk free, I'm choosing to wait until there is a definitive trend upwards.

Your numbers are so low, I don't know that the "definitive trend" bar has been met yet.

The <3.5 means that your test was not specifically calibrated for postsurgery numbers so that instrumental uncertainty may be bigger than in a specific ultrasensitive test. However, you are getting three digits after the decimal point and you see a sistematic rise which may mean something (or not). Here you can see significant fluctuations in the last of two digits with some equipments and also systematic rises observed with ultrasentitive tests that lead some people to act at values below 0.1. In any case, your numbers are still too low to worry. I guess you are taking semiannual or annual tests, the supossed doubling time (if it can applied to such low values) is not alarming. I think you should wait for next test to see if there is a clearer trend without thinking much about it in the meanwhile.

Thank you.

Thx and cheers