Rising psa right after davinci

gkoper
gkoper Member Posts: 173
edited March 2014 in Prostate Cancer #1
Was told cancer was contained. But ct scan found micro activity & psa since surgery in May has gone up: 0.3,0.4,0.6. Looks like radiation when I meet with oncologists next month. Any of you had similar experiences.
Regards,
George

Comments

  • lewvino
    lewvino Member Posts: 1,010
    #2
    Did you have a positive
    Did you have a positive Margin on the path report?

    Larry
  • gkoper
    gkoper Member Posts: 173
    #3
    Margins
    Were clear. Surgeon was suprised & disappointed but not as disappointed as I am.
  • lewvino
    lewvino Member Posts: 1,010
    #4
    gkoper said:

    Margins
    Were clear. Surgeon was suprised & disappointed but not as disappointed as I am.

    Please keep me updated on
    Please keep me updated on how it goes. I have a positive margin from my surgery which means I may be facing radiation done the road. I've been told they won't do anything till the start looking at my psa's and will wait at least six months post surgery. Today is 15 days post surgery.

    Larry
  • novaguy
    novaguy Member Posts: 76
    #5
    lewvino said:

    Please keep me updated on
    Please keep me updated on how it goes. I have a positive margin from my surgery which means I may be facing radiation done the road. I've been told they won't do anything till the start looking at my psa's and will wait at least six months post surgery. Today is 15 days post surgery.

    Larry

    Larry
    Dr. Walsh's book
    Larry

    Dr. Walsh's book discusses positive margins on pages 365-368. It's too much to quote, but he has some encouraging things to say.

    Quoting Dr Epstein, he says "Even if the surgical margins are positive, this does not necessarily mean that cancer is left behind." He says the reasons might be that some of the cancer cells were cut through, or that the surgery itself finishes killing off the cells that are left behind. He also says sometimes there are false positive margins. This is the same thing my urologist told me before the surgery (as it turned out, mine were negative), and it gave me hope in case my margins turned out positive.

    In another part of Walsh's book I read that in the PSA comes back after surgery, positive margins might ironically be a good indication that radiation would work because the recurrence would be local to the prostate bed, where radiation can kill the remaining cells, instead of remote where the radiation would not reach.

    Best of luck, and keep your hopes high!
  • lewvino
    lewvino Member Posts: 1,010
    #6
    novaguy said:

    Larry
    Dr. Walsh's book
    Larry

    Dr. Walsh's book discusses positive margins on pages 365-368. It's too much to quote, but he has some encouraging things to say.

    Quoting Dr Epstein, he says "Even if the surgical margins are positive, this does not necessarily mean that cancer is left behind." He says the reasons might be that some of the cancer cells were cut through, or that the surgery itself finishes killing off the cells that are left behind. He also says sometimes there are false positive margins. This is the same thing my urologist told me before the surgery (as it turned out, mine were negative), and it gave me hope in case my margins turned out positive.

    In another part of Walsh's book I read that in the PSA comes back after surgery, positive margins might ironically be a good indication that radiation would work because the recurrence would be local to the prostate bed, where radiation can kill the remaining cells, instead of remote where the radiation would not reach.

    Best of luck, and keep your hopes high!

    Thanks for you thought's
    Thanks for you thought's from the Book. I've pretty much put it to the back of my mind and am focusing on other things. They told me on checkup from Vanderbilt not to worry if there was a positive margin. The Gold standard for follow up treatments are PSA levels.

    Do you have the name of Dr. Walsh's book? I might want to order it.

    Larry
  • novaguy
    novaguy Member Posts: 76
    #7
    lewvino said:

    Thanks for you thought's
    Thanks for you thought's from the Book. I've pretty much put it to the back of my mind and am focusing on other things. They told me on checkup from Vanderbilt not to worry if there was a positive margin. The Gold standard for follow up treatments are PSA levels.

    Do you have the name of Dr. Walsh's book? I might want to order it.

    Larry

    "Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide
    "Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer." I just got it a few days ago, and wish I would have had it earlier. It really discusses everything, and is written for the patient in mind, everything is explained in plain language.
  • Hollynn22
    Hollynn22 Member Posts: 15
    #8
    lewvino said:

    Please keep me updated on
    Please keep me updated on how it goes. I have a positive margin from my surgery which means I may be facing radiation done the road. I've been told they won't do anything till the start looking at my psa's and will wait at least six months post surgery. Today is 15 days post surgery.

    Larry

    PSA drop without radiation
    Larry,

    My boyfriend went back his doctor for PSA test last Friday 8/28/09. Only 29 days after the surgery, his PSA drop down to 0 with the trace of cancer cells is undetectable. His pre-surgery PSA was 18. My boyfriend has a positive margin from his surgery but his doctor said since his PSA number is 0 so he doesn't think that my boy friend will need radiation or any treatment for now. Just like you, they are watching my boy friend PSA's and he needs an other PSA test in this November. I wish it will always be the same number: 0. Just want to share some good news and I wish yourself and all gentlemen on this board have a lot of lucks and will receive great news everyday.

    Holynn22
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #9
    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

Discussion Boards