anyone with no reoccurance

I'm 1 month post RP. My pathology report is 3+3=6 in one core about 10%. All margins and vessicles and nodes were negative. The cancer was totally confined says the surgeon- Dr Partin of Johs Hopkins. My concern is I read here about persons who have a reoccurence after several years. Is there anyone on here or who you know of, that has had no reoccurance after their surgery???

Glad your surgery went well. Gleason 6 people are in a very good position to avoid reoccurrence of a rise in PSA after surgery. I am reposting a link that a member Chris R made a little while ago which has the results of a 15 year study with thousands of post surgical men who had stats collected on them.

Interesting stats.

http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2011/01/21/projection-of-15-year-prostate-cancer-specific-survival-after-radical-prostatectomy/

The incidence of reoccurrence was extremely low. When you read it you will be very much reassured that your change of having a detectable or rising PSA will be very small.

Glad to see a post from another person who used Hopkins. My experience with Dr. Carter was very satisfactory. We should start a Hopkins discussion for insights into that experience to allow Mid-Atlantic participants who are contemplating treatment with Hopkins to read how it went for us. It is a unique and interesting place.

Now I just have to resolve the incontinence issue. Carter's stats indicate that 95 percent reach a no pad state. I am having consistent work days of 13 hours from time of departure in the am to coming home in the early evening with just under 10 ml of seepage. I can happily call it seepage now because if you do the math, that is under 1 ml per hour that I leak. Hardy worth using a pad but damp underwear would not make me happy for a whole work day.

Read the article and get some comfort by it. Hope your recovery is going well. You should be getting that first post surgical psa test shortly.

Mike S.

This is the best site. I have a friend that was just diagnosed with PCa. I referred him to this site because it's a very informative site with excellent members.

I'm two years out from surgery, and have had no BCR, am not incontinent, and am slowing gaining back my erectile function. I stay involved with this forum, because although I have "good" stats, one never knows what the future brings. I learn something new every day I'm here. I've recently started testosterone supplementation, and hope to be useful in a guinea-pig sorta way to other guys who may in my same boat. As others have advised, concentrate on the immedaite healing by walking, drinking lots of water and resting as needed.

Arnie in DE

Anex.

For starters my dad had G6 on biopsy and then had radiation. He is now 11 years out and no BCR.

I am a little over 2 years out.

The Johns Hopkins study involving 2,524 patients they operated on had only 11 people who had BCR and none of them developed metastatic progress or died of PCa. The metastatic part makes the mortality part obvious.

So, J.H. feels that G6 organ confined it 99.6% cureable. Epstein, a pathologist at J.H., used the word "cureable" not me.

It is still hard to come to grips with. I also have run accross other people who had BCR and it rose to say .2 and then even after 10 years it did not go any higher. There is one guy here, Rinky, who went to .5 after 5 years and stayed there for the next 5 years and is now 15 years out and hasn't gotten his 3rd PSA test. He's got guts. But, he has no clinical symptoms of progression even if it is occuring. He should have gone for salvage radiation 10 years ago.

Which leads me to another point. Even if you do have BCR, it is very difficult to decide to treat or not.

I also, have noticed that the few G6 here that did have BCR had a positive margin and it took at least 3 years for them to have BCR.

The worst study I could find on G6 guys who had surgery was 1 death out of something like 11,000 people.

Don't stop saving for your retirement. That's what my uro said and I was 42 when I was dx. He is a very well respected uro. in Wheeling, WV.

Drink, take some drugs to relax...Exercise it really releaves a lot of stress for me. BTW, I meant anti-depressants....But I also hear pot has madicinal qualities, but I can't vouch for that. Really....

P.S.  Last fall I was approved for a 1 million dollar 20 year Term life insurance policy from Prudential.  I had a regular physical and just had to submit an undetecable PSA test from the last 6 months.  The rate was about $500 more a year.  A deal I think.  If an insurance company thinks G6 has a really low mortality rate up to 20 years after surgery, then I believe it.

Post Edited (ChrisR) : 2/9/2011 5:43:49 PM (GMT-7)

Ed,

That's a pretty unique foursome. Let me know if you need a sub anytime.

Chris

I’m glad your surgery went well. You have really good stats and should be on your way to a nice recovery. I am 19 months post op, my numbers are very close to yours and I think the odds are in our favor to not have a recurrence. The best thing you can do for yourself and your family is to concentrate on healing from the surgery, put your focus on “healing well” and doing everything the doctor tells you. I feel like I’ve been given the gift of time and I want to use it wisely.

God Bless and good luck with your recovery.

Lynn

Anxiety, my husband is closing in on the 3rd anniversary of his robotic prostatectomy with no recurrence. His path report was worse than yours: Gleason 3+4, cancer contained to one side of the gland, extraprostectic extension noted but margins were clean, no involvement of seminal vesicles or bladder neck.

I agree with John T...chill out and enjoy the gift that you've been given (a good report).

Anxiety,

I'm only 2 months post-op and my first post-op psa was 0.1. Obviously, I'm too new to be of any use, but my father is more than 12 years out and still undetecable. Mine was a bit worse than his; I was Gleason 3+4 and he was like you 3+3, but still, the general concensus seems to be: sweat it if you have to, but don't before you do.

Not much help, but still...

My zero club membership renewal came in the mail today, 2.5 years post op. Keep moving forward. You have good stats. Stay positive brother, you're going to be fine.

I am 3 1/2 years post op and I am still <.04 on my PSA tests.