Connect
Comment receiving replies
@brianjarvis wrote "At just 7 weeks post-surgery, a PSA of 1.0 is not unusual and indicates the likelihood of remnants of PSA still in your blood."
I don't believe this is accurate. But I'd be happy to be corrected if you have sources that support a different interpretation.
All the sources I've seen put the half-life of PSA after radical prostatectomy at approximately 2 to 3 days. (Example: https://www.urotoday.com/conference-highlights/apccc-2026/168594-apccc-2026-psa-persistence-or-recurrence-after-radical-prostatectomy-when-and-how-to-react.html notes that "the total PSA half-life is 2.7-3.3 days" and defines persistence as a PSA of >0.1 at 6 weeks post-RP.)
With a pre-op PSA of ~18, @djkurr 's PSA should have dropped below 1 after about 5 half-lives, or roughly 10-15 days. By 6 weeks after surgery, his PSA should be undetectable if all the cancer were removed.
I'm not trying to be alarmist, but the facts presented suggest either lab error in that 1.0 result (or a misunderstanding by djkurr) or persistence, which would warrant attention by the oncologist. It's misleading to suggest that a PSA of 1.0 six weeks after RP is in any way normal here.
@djkurr , did you have a PSMA PET scan prior to surgery? Were any lymph nodes removed and examined? It would also be helpful to know what your post-op pathology report said.
But you should start reading up on adjuvant radiotherapy+ADT and be prepared to discuss with your oncologist whether that would be appropriate for you. It's not indicated for men who have low or undetectable PSA after surgery, but can yield life-saving outcomes in cases of persistence when extra-prostatic cancer was missed.
Replies to "@brianjarvis wrote "At just 7 weeks post-surgery, a PSA of 1.0 is not unusual and indicates..."
@notpetecrowarmstrong We were discussing this just a few days ago. Looking at various post-prostatectomy PSA testing protocols:
> American Cancer Society: “6 to 8 weeks”: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/treating/psa-levels-after-treatment.html
> Memorial Sloan Kettering: “6 to 8 weeks after surgery”: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/patient-education/about-your-prostate-surgery
> Acibadem Hospitals: “6 to 12 weeks”: https://acibademinternational.com/blog/why-are-psa-targets-different-after-prostate-surgery-or-radiation-monitoring-vs-screening/
> Prostate Cancer Foundation: “never get that PSA test earlier than two months”: https://www.pcf.org/patient-support/diagnosis/monitoring-detecting-recurrence/part-one-psa-after-surgery/
> ASCO: “at least 3 months”: https://ascopost.com/news/march-2025/checking-psa-levels-too-soon-after-prostatectomy-may-lead-to-overtreatment/
Even with the PSA half-life what it is, each center appears to have its own protocol. But the consensus seems to be a minimum of 1-1/2 months to “at least 3 months.” Most I’ve seen tend towards the 3 month than the 1-1/2 months.
(It also depends on pre-prostatectomy PSA levels.)
"All the sources I've seen put the half-life of PSA after radical prostatectomy at approximately 2 to 3 days. (Example: https://www.urotoday.com/conference-highlights/apccc-2026/168594-apccc-2026-psa-persistence-or-recurrence-after-radical-prostatectomy-when-and-how-to-react.html notes that "the total PSA half-life is 2.7-3.3 days" and defines persistence as a PSA of >0.1 at 6 weeks post-RP.)
With a pre-op PSA of ~18, @djkurr 's PSA should have dropped below 1 after about 5 half-lives, or roughly 10-15 days. By 6 weeks after surgery, his PSA should be undetectable if all the cancer were removed."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is absolutely correct. 👍 We were explained this by RO after RP and my husband had his PSA checked just couple of weeks after RP since he had aggressive features in his pathology report and adjuvant was offered as possibility IF uPSA was not undetectable. It was undetectable (less than 0.014) so he did not have adjuvant.
Connect
@notpetecrowarmstrong
Seven weeks after my prostatectomy, my PSA was <.1. To have a PSA of 1 after six weeks is a little high. I don’t think my PSA was much below 18 the day I had my surgery. It may drop lower, but I would be real surprised to see it reaches <.1 after a few more weeks. Everyone is different however, so it is impossible to be certain.