PSA Remains About 2 at Six Weeks After RP

Hi All:

I had da Vinci RP on August 29. Thanks again to those who responded to my original post of 7/6/07.

Things have taken a disheartening turn since my last post. Almost six weeks out from RP, my PSA remains at around 2. It should be at or very near zero by now.

As background, I'm 48 and in good health. My path report: tumor is a T3, Gleason 7 on almost all of one side, nothing on the other side (nerve on this side was spared), cancer did extend outside of prostate, there was one positive margin, no involvement of seminal vesicles or lymph nodes, PSA was about 10 going into the surgery. No presurgical evidence of metastastic disease.

Has anyone else had experience with a PSA that never went to zero after RP?

Of course this almost certainly means active cancer is present somewhere (according to my uro, all benign prostate tissue was removed, which I understand in rare cases can give a false positive PSA after surgery).

My wife and I are trying to absorb this new reality and decide what to do next. My onco has supported the idea of trying to get aggressive treatment through a clinical trial, possibly involving Taxotere.

I have upcoming appointments with my uro and also my radiation doc.

- Does anyone have comments a PSA remaining after RP?

- Info on effectiveness of standard salvage radiation treatment?

- Thoughts or experience joining a clinical trial?

- Experience with Taxotere?

- Ideas on incontinence, which is continuing for me?

One bright spot is that although I can't yet achieve an erection, I discovered I can have orgasms through manual stimulation. The orgasms are not as strong as before, but are pleasurable. It might help some newbies to know you may be able to have a form of sex well before erections return.

Yours, sblome