Thanks for the message. The first question posed via e-mail for my Urologist was: "Why didn't you do the Decipher test?" His first response was that my insurance wouldn't pay for it. I was suspicious of that. I then told him that "I deserved to know of any requested test that was denied, so I could consider paying cash for it." That e-mail exchange was about 3 weeks ago, well after my biopsy in mid-December 2024. Then last week at my 3-month, post-catheter removal follow-up, I asked again. At that point he said that it is moot for two reasons: 1) You only do the Decipher test on biopsied tissue, not post-radical prostatectomy (RP) surgical tissue, and...2) The surgical pathology report revealed everything we need to know: EPE, Surgical Margins, Cribriform Glands, Left Seminal Vesicle invasion.
I have read numerous posts and comments that infer that the Decipher test can be done on post-RP surgical tissue, and when I said that to my Urologist, his face kind of scrunched up like "what?", and he said: "no, and again at this point the Decipher test won't tell us anything that we don't know now." I don't know who or what to believe.
Also, I am confused by your description above. You say "I had a T2c and the prostatectomy gave me 3 1/2 years before reoccurrence." That tells me that your prostate has been removed. But then you offer: "The T2c means that the cancer has gotten into both sides of my prostate", conveying that you still have your prostate, but not outside it."
I did have a Genetic Screening (oral/buccal swab) done that included dozens and dozens of genes including BRCA 1 and BRCA2. I was 100% Negative for any/all cancer genes or mutations of any kind. I had one guy comment that there are many genes, and that my screening likely didn't include them. Don't know what he was talking about...I was screened for what was important in prostate cancer and all cancers in general.