I was Gleason 3+4, had RP, and had a positive margin. The prostatectomy provided me with more detailed information of the lesion that resulted in a positive margin. Typically, your PSA can be tested as early as 6 weeks after the prostatectomy and more typically 12 weeks, to give you a first indication of any prostate cancer cells remaining in the prostate bed. If your PSA tests eventually show anything detectable, above 0.01 Ng/ml, your PSA will be monitored to look at the doubling time (amount of time for the value to double) and prior to the PSA reaching the value of 0.2ng/ml (biochemical recurrence) you will have agreed upon a treatment plan that is typically salvage radiation. For a Gleason 3+4, even if you have a biochemical recurrence, it is more likely that any remaining prostate cancer cells are localized in the prostate bed, treatable with salvage radiation, and still curable. There is a lot of good online information at PCF.org and PCRI.org which explains next steps and the questions to ask your doctors.

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