First PSA following prostatectomy.
Comments
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Sorry to hear about the rise
Sorry to hear about the rise in your post surgery PSA as I know the whole post surgery PSA testing is an anxious time for all of surgery guys and it does not seem to make sense based on your “pathology” that I assume is a Gleason 3+3, negative margins and fully contained… I am on the other side of the spectrum with a post surgery Gleason 4+3, one positive margin, right SVI…etc…but stranger things happen with this beast PCa…
My advice is that you are best to have a plan of action and believe in that plan of action…I would strongly urge you if you have not already change you diet to a low fat heart healthy diet (no more than 15%-20% fat in calories), give up dairy 100%, no red meat, 3-10 serving of green tea (I drink ice tea), one serving of soy product daily, one serving of pomegranate juice, etc…Fight this beast with all guns blazing… I believe that diet and exercise are just as critical as knocking this beat down with a medical treatment.
I would be reading studies from the following sources (to name a few) so you have an educated basis to talk to your doctor…
European Association of Urology
John Hopkins
Northwestern (Dr Catalona)
JAMA
Prostate Cancer Foundation
I know if I was to have a reading >.1 my oncologist would be pressing for radiation before it hit .2….but with negitive margins most of what I have read do not recommend radiation in the prostate bed but that is my take from what I have read....God Bless you in this journey-B0 -
Good Advicebdhilton said:Sorry to hear about the rise
Sorry to hear about the rise in your post surgery PSA as I know the whole post surgery PSA testing is an anxious time for all of surgery guys and it does not seem to make sense based on your “pathology” that I assume is a Gleason 3+3, negative margins and fully contained… I am on the other side of the spectrum with a post surgery Gleason 4+3, one positive margin, right SVI…etc…but stranger things happen with this beast PCa…
My advice is that you are best to have a plan of action and believe in that plan of action…I would strongly urge you if you have not already change you diet to a low fat heart healthy diet (no more than 15%-20% fat in calories), give up dairy 100%, no red meat, 3-10 serving of green tea (I drink ice tea), one serving of soy product daily, one serving of pomegranate juice, etc…Fight this beast with all guns blazing… I believe that diet and exercise are just as critical as knocking this beat down with a medical treatment.
I would be reading studies from the following sources (to name a few) so you have an educated basis to talk to your doctor…
European Association of Urology
John Hopkins
Northwestern (Dr Catalona)
JAMA
Prostate Cancer Foundation
I know if I was to have a reading >.1 my oncologist would be pressing for radiation before it hit .2….but with negitive margins most of what I have read do not recommend radiation in the prostate bed but that is my take from what I have read....God Bless you in this journey-B
Thanks, that seems like good advice. Your response also reminds me of another question. Up to this point, I have treated with Urologists. My doc, I believe is an excellent urologist/surgeon but I am wondering if at this point, I should be consulting with an Oncologist as well?0 -
As soon as I heard I had ajculha said:Good Advice
Thanks, that seems like good advice. Your response also reminds me of another question. Up to this point, I have treated with Urologists. My doc, I believe is an excellent urologist/surgeon but I am wondering if at this point, I should be consulting with an Oncologist as well?
As soon as I heard I had a questionable “DRE” my primary doctor became an Urologist Oncologist and I feel that he has looked out for me from day one but I do my homework so I can talk to him and this is very important for you to do as well…. He is also a well regarded surgeon (however, he sent me to Northwestern to have my surgery)...Do what makes you feel comfortable...these are extremely important next steps for you-Whatever you decide-God bless you in your journey0 -
Psa .17
This .17 is exactly what my psa was following my radiation. My original psa was 24 and Gleason 9. I have survived over 6 years and am now in hospice care. It sounds as if the cancer may have spread and believe me it is not easy to find out where it is at this point. I had several very expensive tests which showed nothing at the time. I have well outlived my diagnosis and plan to keep that trend going another year or more. I took no further treatment and have had a great quality of life. Getting the stress out of my life was the best treatment and it is why I have survived so many years. Try to stay calm and use your best judgement as for how to proceed in your dealing with this problem. All the best.0 -
PSA rise
Sorry to hear about your detectable psa after surgery. Mine was .3 after surgery & I was told it was contained & psa would go down. It went up to .4---------5 months after surgery & with a .7 psa I opted for IMRT. I finished just before Christmas and PSA has gradually declined to .1 Next month I get the next test. The diet advice one of the brothers gave should be beneficial. I would not worry too much with that .17-----your next test should be the indicator on how you proceed. Try to get that diet right & relax.......and keep the faith.0 -
Statins
As I understand it, biochemical recurrence after RP is a PSA reading greater than 0.2 ng/ml and the follow up PSA is a good idea.
You may also want to discuss statins (if you haven't already) with your doctor. The following quote comes from Duke University in a report they issued last month:
"Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., analyzed data from 1,280 men in the Shared Equal-Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database who underwent RP and were not on statins prior to surgery. Of these, 350 (27%) started statin treatment after RP. These subjects had a lower mean age than men who did not take statins (61.5 vs. 62.8 years), higher median BMI (27.5 vs. 27 kg/m2), and lower median pre-operative PSA levels (6.5 vs. 7.8 ng/mL). After controlling for clinical and pathological parameters, post-RP statin use was associated with a significant 39% decreased risk of biochemical recurrence defined as post-RP PSA levels greater than 0.2 ng/mL, two PSA determinations of 0.2 ng/mL or higher, or receipt of secondary treatment due to rising PSA."
I have also read that should BCR be determined, that hormone treatment significantly extends long term survival rates as does IMRT radiation, and that the combination of the two is more effective than either as a stand alone treatment.
One of the most important parameters to consider when looking at potential follow on treatments if you do determine that there is BCR is to calculate your PSA velocity. A lower PSA velocity and there are plenty of articles about post RP PSA velocity you can find using Google that can give you good insight.
I hope your next PSA reading nothing to worry about.0 -
Post surgical PSA
My husband age 64, underwent robotic prostatectomy at Mayo in Rochester in July 10. After 3 yrs and 3 negative biopsies he was diagnosed 1 postive core at 3+3=6..and PSA had reached 8.2, Saturation biospy at Mayo revealed 3+3=6, 3+4=7 and 4+4=8. After negative bone and CT scans,.... He underwent the robotic surgery and also an extended pelvic lymph node dissection where all the nodes in the entire pelvis were taken, as opposed to the typical regional ones... It was 5 1/2 hours of surgery. All nodes were negative, 2 margines were "involved" at 1 mm each- (which we were told by Mayo surgeons and our urologist at home, that they are considered insignificant/negative due to size and location)... He went through it fine, felt completely normal at 2 weeks. He was downgraded to 3+4=7 post surgery which is huge.
Now we are scheduled for the 3 month post op PSA test next month. I am so worried. Even though he was downgraded to a 7, and we were told it was organ confined at T2 (involved both sides of the prostate at 3mm x 1.7 mm)...I am very worried about biochemical failure. He of course is not. How do you all survive this anxiety?0 -
Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.0 -
KlemonKlemon said:Post surgical PSA
My husband age 64, underwent robotic prostatectomy at Mayo in Rochester in July 10. After 3 yrs and 3 negative biopsies he was diagnosed 1 postive core at 3+3=6..and PSA had reached 8.2, Saturation biospy at Mayo revealed 3+3=6, 3+4=7 and 4+4=8. After negative bone and CT scans,.... He underwent the robotic surgery and also an extended pelvic lymph node dissection where all the nodes in the entire pelvis were taken, as opposed to the typical regional ones... It was 5 1/2 hours of surgery. All nodes were negative, 2 margines were "involved" at 1 mm each- (which we were told by Mayo surgeons and our urologist at home, that they are considered insignificant/negative due to size and location)... He went through it fine, felt completely normal at 2 weeks. He was downgraded to 3+4=7 post surgery which is huge.
Now we are scheduled for the 3 month post op PSA test next month. I am so worried. Even though he was downgraded to a 7, and we were told it was organ confined at T2 (involved both sides of the prostate at 3mm x 1.7 mm)...I am very worried about biochemical failure. He of course is not. How do you all survive this anxiety?
I've read a few of your posts, but the one you wrote directly above "speaks" to me--"How do you all survive this anxiety?" Sounds like you and your husband have been on a real roller coaster ride. I can empathize. My husband has T3 locally advanced non-met PCa, diagnosed Feb 2010, Gleason 3+4=7, PSA 2.4. I've previously posted the stats elsewhere, but just to give you a thumbnail--he elected not to have RP, and instead, because of his intermediate risk, high volume PCa (9/12 cores positive w/many @100% & PNI) decided to do ADT3, HDR-B (completed) & IMRT.
Getting back to the "anxiety" issue...it's one thing for the guys to address how they handle it, but for me, the wife, it's my anxiety & stress about this PCa beast that I am personally dealing with--not to diminish the anxiety from waiting for post-tx PSA results, which is just another buffet item from the long menu list of anxiety-producing PCa issues. I try not to create more stress and anxiety for him by showing mine, although he knows its there. Something that has helped me--I've recently completed an 8 week "Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)" meditation class based on the book (which I recommend) by Jon Kabet-Zinn called "Full Catastrophe Living" (Delacorte, NY 1994). This has helped tremendously (not gone, but emphasize "helped tremendously") with my anxiety and stress and taught me how to put those issues in perspective. As part of the class and from add'l reading ("The One Minute Meditation"), I've also learned how to breathe during meditation, and I think the breathing practice has helped as much, if not more, than the meditation. BTW, if you're old enough to remember, this is not the same "yogi" knot-sitting meditation practice popular in the 60's and 70's--its very different. I've learned through the class that all we really have is this moment, the moment we are in right now (as fleeting as it is), we do not have the past or the future, so I try to stay focused on this time/moment, the present, right now. If I spend too much time thinking about what the future MAY bring (no one knows), or the decisions that have already been made (can't go back), that just adds to the anxiety and stress levels. Although it can be hard to do since the mind often seems to drift to the "what ifs" and resists the stillness of meditation, it takes practice (and I'm still learning), I try to focus on what is now, right here, this moment, take some big slow full belly breaths and stay positive in the present moment. Walking and exercise only enhance this practice. Hope my experience and book recommendations are useful.
Best,
mrs pjd0 -
Thank YouKongo said:Statins
As I understand it, biochemical recurrence after RP is a PSA reading greater than 0.2 ng/ml and the follow up PSA is a good idea.
You may also want to discuss statins (if you haven't already) with your doctor. The following quote comes from Duke University in a report they issued last month:
"Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., analyzed data from 1,280 men in the Shared Equal-Access Regional Cancer Hospital (SEARCH) database who underwent RP and were not on statins prior to surgery. Of these, 350 (27%) started statin treatment after RP. These subjects had a lower mean age than men who did not take statins (61.5 vs. 62.8 years), higher median BMI (27.5 vs. 27 kg/m2), and lower median pre-operative PSA levels (6.5 vs. 7.8 ng/mL). After controlling for clinical and pathological parameters, post-RP statin use was associated with a significant 39% decreased risk of biochemical recurrence defined as post-RP PSA levels greater than 0.2 ng/mL, two PSA determinations of 0.2 ng/mL or higher, or receipt of secondary treatment due to rising PSA."
I have also read that should BCR be determined, that hormone treatment significantly extends long term survival rates as does IMRT radiation, and that the combination of the two is more effective than either as a stand alone treatment.
One of the most important parameters to consider when looking at potential follow on treatments if you do determine that there is BCR is to calculate your PSA velocity. A lower PSA velocity and there are plenty of articles about post RP PSA velocity you can find using Google that can give you good insight.
I hope your next PSA reading nothing to worry about.
Thanks to all for your insights and encouragement. I did talk with a friend who had a similar experience with high psa on the initial test following surgery and his psa was lower two months later and is now undetectable. He said that his doc told him that some people metabolize psa slower than others and that could account for the initial high psa. I read a report that I found online of a study which was trying to determine if caucasians metabolize psa faster than african americans. The study affirmed that psa is metabolized in the liver and can be detected following radical prostatectomy surgery. For now, I am going to hang my hat on that possibility and get on with enjoying life. I did hear your good advice and I will be adjusting my diet and increasing my exercise. God bless you all. BTW, the study found that caucasians and african americans metabolize psa at approximately the same rate. Just a followup, I was able to consult with a well known urologist who conducted a study on psa metabolization. He told me that it was not possible to have non-metabolized psa in my system 3 months following radical prostatectomy. He said that it is entirely possible even with negative margins that there was a small amount of prostate tissue left behind after the surgery. That tissue will produce psa and may die out over time or may continue to grow with a negligable rise in psa over time. He did not recommend radiation if that is the case.0 -
1st Post Prostectomt psa 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostectomt psa 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostectomt psa 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostectomt psa 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostectomt psa 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostectomt psa 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostatectomy PSA 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostatectomy PSA 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostatectomy PSA 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0 -
1st Post Prostatectomy PSA 26JohnK11 said:Sadly to say, mine was higher
Re : High PSA after treatment and
my experience on hormone treatment (10-month report)
I am one of the least lucky prostate cancer patient
(I've only seen a few people with comparable or worse
experience). After Robotic surgery, my PSA DID NOT go down,
and stayed at 7 (retest 2 weeks later at 9.2 --> 2+ month
doubling time).
Since the PSA was so high, and doubling time short,
I did not even consider SRT (unlikely that all the cancer
is nearby the removed prostate)
If the spread is far away (bone, far away lymph nodes, etc.) no initial treatment
will impact that. Furthermore, any diagnostics when your PSA is low (below
20-40) will unlikely find far-away cancer, since it is likely to be too small
(I think I wasted the effort in bone scan, CT scan, and MRI/prostascint scan,
since at that time, my PSA was only 7).
However, hormone treatment seems to be working.
The uro claim 5-8 years of effectiveness, but that might
be optimistic. There are treatments beyond that, but
some of the side effects are horrendous (I don't think I
want to go chemo just to extend my life by 2-4 months).
The side effects of hormone seems to be okay --hot flashes are
a bother, but I got used to it.
I still live an reasonably active life--go to work
every weekday (fortunately, office job), play singles tennis
(not as rigorously as before, but I am getting older), walk
a lot, not other serious side effects (perhaps having trouble
getting full 8 hours of sleep since I tend to get up every
2 hours to pee--still some urinary leakage).
So, as long as the hormone (intermittent) treatment
works, I am going on with my life as before. My attitude is
that I have lived a reasonably full life, been involved with
a few discoveries (bottom and top quark), so will like a full
life until I go. Cheers.
---------------------------
PC history
4/09 Pre-biopsy PSA 4.2 (this triggered the
7/09 biopsy 4+3=7 Gleason prostate cancer)
10/09 Pre-surgery PSA 6.7
10/9/09 DaVinci surgery (Gleason 4+3=7; T3c; right seminary
vesicle cancerous; has to remove that AND "way beyond the
prostate" to get negative margin)
11/30/09 6 weeks post surgery 7.0/6.4
12/13/09 8 weeks post surgery 9.2 (doubling time 2+ months)
12/16/09--took Trelstar (Lupron surrogate)
3/3/10 <.1 (testoserone 13)
3/15/10 --took 2nd Trelstar LA shot
6/10 PSA <.1
8/1/10 --took 3rd Trelstar LA shot (plan to go intermittent)
12/09 Both the Bone scan and the Prostascint/MRI scans were
negative (the uro says that most of the time, one would
not see cancerous modules in these scans until your PSA is
~40+.</p>
Hi,
My husband had a robotic prostatectomy on Feb.3,2011. Prior he had neg DRE but a rising PSA (6,9,14). He missed a year of having his psa done which was 0.2 the year before. Neg. ultrasound of pelvis. , Neg. prostate biopsy. Had 3 T. MRI revealing small tumor in prostate, possibly one lymph node involved. Needle guided prostate bx using MRI REPORT REVEALED 2 pos cores. Gleason score of 8. Bone scan neg. Post surgical pathology report reveal post margins, one regional lymph node involvement. 1st post op PSA at 4 weeks was 26. My husband will speak to his urologist tomorrow about elevated post surgery PSA. I think he should also find a medical oncology.
Good luck with your numbers and your perspective on life is very inspirational to us.0
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