PROSTATE

Congratulations on the first post PSA being "0." That is in fact what everyone is shooting for and in most successful operations that is what is expected. That of course means for now there is no cancer generated from the prostate active in the body. The key though is to keep having zeros moving forward. Your surgeon likely told you to have it checked every 6 months. Sometimes the cancer from the prostate has moved to other parts of the body and will remain dormat for a time but show up later - that is the purpose of the continued check to make sure it hasn't shown up somewhere else.

We will hope that you continue registering zeroes, and it sounds like you have good prospects. Blessings!

First, Welcome to HW manrod! Second, congrats on an undetectable PSA!!!! That is fabulous news!! There are a number of members who have had positive margins following their prostatectomies. Often the surgeons suggest waiting to see if the PSA will rise following surgery and if so, they will recommend additional treatment at a certain point such as .1 or .2. The good news, as you know, is that you passed the first test with an undetectable PSA. Hopefully, your PSA will remain undetectable. When you say your cancer was outside the prostate, do you mean that you had a positive margin? Best wishes!

manrod,
You should get the surgical pathology report from your surgeon for your records. I understand the denial part, but you should want to know where you stand and keep up the diligence. Good job on the zero part. I wish you the best in your healing. May peace be with you!

Tony

People like Tony on this forum are experts who have answered many many questions and done their research. Please think seriously about following his advice. Knownledge about all this will aid you greatly.

I would suggest that from reading your description of what the doctor said that you had cancer to or beyond the wall of the prostate, but the doctor believes he cut wide enough to get it all. A positive margin is cancer shown to the perimeter or outside the perimeter of the doctors extraction. Positive margins are what doctors try to avoid - that is they will cut a large enough diameter to take all the cancer so that there is no cancer shown to the boundary of the area cut out. Leaving any cancer in the area increases the possibility of its continued growth and spread in the body and the later return of PSA will indicate its presence. You have capsule penetration (apparently to the wall of the prostate), but the doctor thinks he got the excess outside the capsule. The pathology report will provide the information to know if this is so or not, and will guide the rest of your decisions about what to do or not to do for further treatment.

I had non-nerve sparing surgery for the same reason described above - the surgeon thought there was a good possibility I had cancer outside the capsule and therefore cut a wider path to make sure he got it. I hope this is helpful.

I think you will be fine.....di