PSA will not fall after surgery.
Posted , 5 users are following.
What is the most effective treatment to attack persistent and rising PSA after a radical prostatectomy? Note at surgery the pathology stated N0 M0
To clarify, "biochemical recurrence" is the PSA rising over time, after falling to near zero after surgery or radiation.
"PSA persistence" indicates that after surgery the PSA did not fall to "undetectable" levels (i.e. <0.001) but remained stubbornly detectable.
0 likes, 10 replies
geoff90305 barney34567
Posted
What is the stubbornly PSA level you refer to. If you have had your prostate removed and the PSA is higher than 0.2 nanograms/milliliter, then maybe some cells escaped. What was your Gleason score and T score?
barney34567 geoff90305
Posted
Pre-op Gleason score was 4+5
post op score was 4+3
Tumor stage was T2
In retrospect, I have two questions:
What is the best way to attack this persistently high PSA; and
What investigative tools are used to explain such a PSA.
Note I feel good and have no symptoms at all.
Thanks
geoff90305 barney34567
Posted
Well, as you know, the only way for your PSA to still be detectable beyond 0.02 ug/L is for some prostate cells to be still producing PSA. These cells do not have to be cancer cells, but normal cells that leaked out during surgery. It might be, that these cells will remain active for a long time...Will send you a pm
Geoff
barney34567 geoff90305
Posted
Thanks.
Will keep an eye out for the PM?
Are you saying that it is possible that PSA remains high for a long time but that is not necessarily cancer? If so, how do we know if it is or is not cancer? For instance, say I perform a scan and that doesn't show anything. What am I to conclude is going on?
geoff90305 barney34567
Posted
barney34567 geoff90305
Posted
GMGUY barney34567
Posted
Does anyone Know if Chemo has helped control Gleason 9 63 yr old perfect health before diagnosed 1 yr. ago from colapsed t9 t10. treated casodex, lupron, xgevea. worked for 9 months ps went up a little, was taken off casodex for 4 wks to be able to enter trial, but needed radiation for pain. Now trial has to be delayed due to him needing a special radiation for 2 small tumors on spine t4 t6&7 and L10. Very painful for him. Oncologist wants to put him on Chemo along with the radiation treatment instead of waiting for the trial study. 4 wks before the mold is made for radiation to start. Has chemo helped anyone, and does everyone have side effects. I have 2 girlfriends who had NO side effects from very strong and long Chemo for breast Cancer except the lose of hair. I took them for lunch right after it and was amazed. And is Chemo the last treatment available? Thank you, GM wife
geoff90305 GMGUY
Posted
My sister had breast cancer chemo stage 4, last year and it was apparently the heaviest they do, and it almost killed her with a heart attack. All her teeth had to be removed, she has constant pins and needles in her feet and lower legs and a host of other problems. She has just been advised the cancer has returned to the other breast, and maybe her shoulder... She will have no more treatment.
GMGUY geoff90305
Posted
barney34567 GMGUY
Posted
Sorry to hear of your husband's situation.
You raise an interesting question. One that I asked a highly regarded physician, who is not an urologist. I asked because I don't ever want to be faced with having to undergo hormone therapy if something else is available.
His reply was "in the past, chemotherapy was reserved as the last roll of the dice after other therapies have been tried, but there is some thinking these days that throwing chemotherapy at a patient sooner rather than later may have very good results".