Post prostatectomy: What do rising PSA levels mean?

Here's one chart, I'll add two others since the software only allows you to upload one at a time

A 2nd one

3td and final

Correction: Post RP PSA target < .1
(not < .01)
Following Salvage Treatment Rad Onc ordered Ultrasensative PSA testing and 6 and 9 mos uPSA has been < .02 (Quest Labs limit of detection therefore deemed "undetectable").
Coincidentally, had uPSA blood draw this morning for 3rd post treatment uPSA, now 12 months since Salvage Tx completed May/June 2023.
Best to all.

Thanks for sharing the charts. As I have been on this journey with recurrent PCa and as a retired engineer/scientist, I try and read as many relevant publish medical papers as possible. I fully understand and appreciate that a when a scan is done on a patient having lower PSA, the scan may not be sensitive enough to reveal all the lesions present within a patient’s body, especially if the prostate is still present within the body. At any level of PSA, it’s one of the best tools that’s ever been available in helping to diagnose PCa and guide treatment protocol.

Best wishes for success on your personal journey.

38% chance of detection at .4 PSA per the internet. 87% chance of detection when > 4.0 PSA. Look this up . You got lucky.

I won’t call it luck but I will agree that I’ve been fortunate, even blessed. I’m fortunate that I found great care at Northwestern Medical in Chicago. I’m fortunate that my care team includes some of the most competent and compassionate people I ever hoped to meet. I’m fortunate that they’ve figured out improved ways to detect PCa beyond the 2019 study you cited. I’m fortunate that my known metastasis on recurrence was limited to two pelvic lymph nodes and that I was a candidate for salvage RP after failed focal brachytherapy 2020. I’m fortunate that the cancer that they were unable to reach and remove during salvage RP this January still showed up on the subsequent PET-PSMA scan with only a 0.44 PSA reading and is being used to guide my upcoming salvage RT.

I wish you success on your journey with PCa and hope you wish me the same success.

@samadhi, you've received a lot of helpful replies from members. Is your oncologist concerned about the rise in PSA levels? Are you currently taking any treatment or is treatment being discussed at this level?

Hi,
I'm 3 months from robot surgery extracting my prostate. I feel good. Leaking is improving. Hower, I had my 3 month checkup today and my PSA was 0.1. That sucks. Unfortunately he's confident that he could not get all of it. Pathology said that some cells perhaps broke free of the encapsulation. Another PSA test in 3 months. We talked about all that could or could not lie ahead. May have to get radiation therapy. What a day!

Wojo ,
Follow the Drs that you’re working with. I had RP removal and margins were clear……… for 6 years. The numbers started rising. 39 treatments of radiation treatments. That was in 2020. Sorry to say , buts lots of issues followed 2 years later. I would ask about ANY type of alternate therapy to radiation IF it comes to this later. Sorry this is so negative , but just want to stress to look at options versus automatically going with routine radiation. Best of luck to you.