What would you do if PSA stayed at 0.15 after prostatectomy?

Posted by tj1967 @tj1967, Aug 29 11:28am

Hi everyone,

I am 58 years old. I had a radical prostatectomy seven months ago and my PSA never dropped to undetectable levels. It has stayed at 0.15 for the past three months.

One doctor recommends a conservative approach with low dose radiation to the prostate bed only. Another recommends a more aggressive plan with radiation to the prostate bed, glands, and lymph nodes along with hormone therapy (relugolix for 6 to 18 months).

I am torn between avoiding side effects now versus hitting it hard to lower long term risk. Has anyone here faced this decision? How did you choose, and do you feel it was the right call?

Thanks for any insight. I would really appreciate hearing your experiences.

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Profile picture for kayabbott @kayabbott

It would be good to get your pathology report; if you did not have clear margins or had C cells in the seminal vesicles, that can impact your decision. My husband's prostatectomy was 4 years ago and we were told he didn't have clear margins, which means he had C cells on the surface of the prostate, but not that it had spread to the vesicles. His PSA two weeks ago was 0.11 and oncologists commonly look at 0.2 as the point of more treatment. However, that his C was outside his prostate changed everything; the oncologist said 0.11 understated and it was likely many times greater. Monday he starts 33 weekdays of radiation and 6 mo of hormone treatment (Degarelix). He is also getting genetic testing for BRAC1 and BRAC2 (increase prostate cancer risk in men). Cancer cells feed on sugar and testosterone/androgen so the hormone treatment stops production (manopause). He has to stop some antioxidants because they protect cells, even the evil ones (turmeric for example) and start calcium and vitamin D3 to retain bone density. Resistance/weight training is also important. He also starts ED meds because they increase blood flow, which has a protective effect on genitals. So much to learn.

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I'm curious about the effect of turmeric. I've read otherwise and curious what you have found.
I want to do whatever I can do to keep this disease at bay.

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Profile picture for bonanzaman @bonanzaman

I'm curious about the effect of turmeric. I've read otherwise and curious what you have found.
I want to do whatever I can do to keep this disease at bay.

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Yes I am interested in turmeric also. Does anyone have any experience with it? I have read that the best supplements for PC are broccoli, green tea, turmeric, and pomegranate juice.

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Profile picture for ucla2025 @ucla2025

Yes I am interested in turmeric also. Does anyone have any experience with it? I have read that the best supplements for PC are broccoli, green tea, turmeric, and pomegranate juice.

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White button Mushrooms, too.
https://www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/oncology/news/white-button-mushrooms-found-to-halt-cancer-progression/
I may start the green tea thing, too. Thanks for reminding me.

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Profile picture for bonanzaman @bonanzaman

White button Mushrooms, too.
https://www.emjreviews.com/en-us/amj/oncology/news/white-button-mushrooms-found-to-halt-cancer-progression/
I may start the green tea thing, too. Thanks for reminding me.

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I have heard about mushrooms too. I have a friend who is a few years out from cancer and she swears by turmeric and Turkey Tail mushroom supplements. I am making spaghetti sauce right now with tons of white button mushrooms in it.

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Profile picture for ucla2025 @ucla2025

I have heard about mushrooms too. I have a friend who is a few years out from cancer and she swears by turmeric and Turkey Tail mushroom supplements. I am making spaghetti sauce right now with tons of white button mushrooms in it.

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Hey bonanzaman and ucla2025- throw a few more supplements, herbs, foods and potions into the mix…I’ve taken them ALL! Taken the ones ‘pharmaceutically active’ taken those labeled ‘therapeutic dosage’…even brewed my own tea made from organic ginger root- ANYTHING not to be here…yet here I am…
Please don’t get your hopes up that you may have stumbled onto the Holy Grail…cancer survivors who adopt herbs or certain lifestyle changes after the fact all seem to suffer from amnesia as well: the surgeries, rounds of radiation and chemotherapy that healed them in the first place!
But it’s the powder made in China purchased on Amazon that is keeping their cancer away…just don’t get it…😖
Phil

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Profile picture for heavyphil @heavyphil

Hey bonanzaman and ucla2025- throw a few more supplements, herbs, foods and potions into the mix…I’ve taken them ALL! Taken the ones ‘pharmaceutically active’ taken those labeled ‘therapeutic dosage’…even brewed my own tea made from organic ginger root- ANYTHING not to be here…yet here I am…
Please don’t get your hopes up that you may have stumbled onto the Holy Grail…cancer survivors who adopt herbs or certain lifestyle changes after the fact all seem to suffer from amnesia as well: the surgeries, rounds of radiation and chemotherapy that healed them in the first place!
But it’s the powder made in China purchased on Amazon that is keeping their cancer away…just don’t get it…😖
Phil

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The only powder we use is the curcumin. We drink green tea and pomegranate juice daily, I make broccoli soup once a week, and put the mushrooms in lots of other dishes. Not looking for the holy grail, having all the standard of care treatments. Figure it can’t hurt to have a healthier diet that incorporates items known to have immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.

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Got a question for the group if anyone is or was in my situation...I had my Rp in 2021.one year later psa went up to .45 .doctors sent me in for 36 rounds of radiation..2 yrs later slight increase in psa so went for a biopsy in the pelvic upper area and the biopsywasn't secssfull couldn'tget it tough area upper pelvic area.psma showed a tiny dot less than a half centimeter so doctors said let's watch it and did psma scan twice 4 monthsapart.my psa slowly started to raise after 1 yr it went up to .40 so the doctor gave me orgovyx with 6 weeks my psa went undetectable. 5 months on orgovyx and the doctor did another psa test and still undetectable. Add psa undetectable Now they want to blast it with radiation 5 rounds starting this Friday. If anyone is in the same situation I'd like to know how it turned out and what your experience was...tyia

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Profile picture for heavyphil @heavyphil

Hey bonanzaman and ucla2025- throw a few more supplements, herbs, foods and potions into the mix…I’ve taken them ALL! Taken the ones ‘pharmaceutically active’ taken those labeled ‘therapeutic dosage’…even brewed my own tea made from organic ginger root- ANYTHING not to be here…yet here I am…
Please don’t get your hopes up that you may have stumbled onto the Holy Grail…cancer survivors who adopt herbs or certain lifestyle changes after the fact all seem to suffer from amnesia as well: the surgeries, rounds of radiation and chemotherapy that healed them in the first place!
But it’s the powder made in China purchased on Amazon that is keeping their cancer away…just don’t get it…😖
Phil

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Hey Phil, The holy grail would be nice, but the only thing that seems to have some real science behind it is the WBM. I'm just hoping that it can help keep the PC monster at bay if it should rear its ugly head again. I know that I've had the radiation and ADT and that may be the thing, but if there are other things that may help control the reoccurrence of the PC, I don't have a problem with that. The source of stuff doesn't make it any more or any less effective in my mind.
I hope we can all have this same discussion in a few years from now and maybe the holy grail will be discovered by then.
Cheers Dave

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Profile picture for tj1967 @tj1967

I’m curious. After your surgery, did your PSA stay consistent around 0.14? If so, what was the reason for waiting two years before starting salvage radiation? During that time, did your PSA remain stable or did it fluctuate?

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TJ...thanks for the note. After surgery my PSA went down from 4.1 to about 0.08 . then started a very slow climb over 3 years to 0.14 , at which time I got 22 sessions of EBRT - external BM radiation therapy. No ADT as I asked the doctors about 6 to 7 times and he said no. During the 22 sessions of External being radiation, I didn't actually get my blood tested, but I am told that it bounces around like crazy. After the 22 sessions and after about two months, I had my first PSA test and that came down to 0.11 then 0.072 a month after that ( so three months now. ) . The PSA has a big lag time with EBRT . Sometimes she will not get peak kill off of cancerous cells for 6 to 8 months. This is what my doctor had told me. So immediately you will get lots of fluctuations followed up by which should be a steady decline in your PSA. Keep me in the loop of how you're doing. Very interested.

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Profile picture for bonanzaman @bonanzaman

I'm curious about the effect of turmeric. I've read otherwise and curious what you have found.
I want to do whatever I can do to keep this disease at bay.

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The PC oncologist recommends avoiding antioxidants such as CoQ10 and turmeric until after the radiation therapy, reason being one doesn't want to protect cells when you are nuking them. I take about 10 g/day of turmeric that has about 2 g/day of bioavailable curcumin (piperine [pepper] and lipids help absorption through intestinal walls). I take it to (hopefully) decrease my risk of multiple myeloma. There are a number of brands, none regulated by the FDA; I take Qunol 1 gm tablets. Do they help? My plasma kappa curve has flattened but don't know if there is any cause and effect, or just chance. I don't have side effects, but some people do. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8464730/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6429287/ https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2820199/#:~:text=Alone%20or%20in%20combination%20with,%2C%20treatment%20or%20co%2Dtreatment.

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