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← Return to First detectable uPSA since surgery 14mos ago
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First detectable uPSA since surgery 14mos ago
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: Feb 4 6:07pm | Replies (17)Comment receiving replies
Also hoping it is a blip for you.
You are asking a very specific Q, and did so in Sept 2024, and truthfully you appear to be knowledgeable and know the probabilities; just not the specific time line for you.
And no one knows for sure.
A friend had RP about 5 yrs ago (and no, I do not know all of his numbers). Similar to you, he was undetectable at the very low 3 digit number range (and i infer that it may have been Lab Corp testing).
2 yrs ago, he began to have some detectable readings and now, 5 yrs after RP, he is beginning Salvage Radiation Treatment to the prostate bed and pelvic lymph nodes at a MD Anderson affiliated location in NJ w/ a PSA of about .2 ish, without ADT.
That is the closest situation to yours that I know.
My PSA was a persistent .19 following RP, so with G 9 and EPE, I went "immediately" to Salvage Treatment WPRT to pelvic area and pelvic lymph nodes w/ 4 mos ADT, did not pass Go and did not collect $ 200.
However, thankfully, uPSA results have been < .02 (limit of detection for Quest Diagnostics) for 1 year post tx.
And like you, and others here in Casablanca, I wait and wait...
Personally, I have stopped trying to compare, because after RP (or RT) as primary tx, we all seem to progress differently and we can only hope, and pray, for continued good results for ourselves and all of our fellow travelers on this similar but unique journey.
Sincere hopes for your numbers to remain ultra low and not ready for additional treatment.
Replies to "Also hoping it is a blip for you. You are asking a very specific Q, and..."
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Thanks for this and the other detailed responses. They are all much appreciated.
Yes, I’m knowledgeable. Maybe some Dunning-Kruger effect but I’ve spent a lot of time researching in the last 18mos. I’m also a probability guy and a worst-case-scenario guy, as a result of the nature of my job.
I meet with my surgeon tomorrow for what was supposed to be a “looking great at < 0.006” first annual visit post surgery. But now that has changed slightly. I’ve already gotten the text from his medical assistant: “PSA undetectable at < 0.1. We will test again in 4-6 months.” First off, it isn’t undetectable. Second, no way I’m waiting 4-6 months for another test. I’m gonna have the what-if discussion with him tomorrow. My plan is likely going to be talk to a rad-onc once I hit 0.05 and then start radiation when I get to 0.1 unless they recommend sooner. If you hit 0.05, you are gonna hit 0.1, so I don’t see much point in waiting. I did have positive margins, so one benefit to that is that in increases the odds that the recurrence is in the prostate bed. Still a decent chance that it may be elsewhere, but doing the bed plus whole pelvis radiation plus short course ADT really does predict a good probability of success for long remission. I’m only 54 so I’d like to take the best shot at a cure if it comes to it.