tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935117439180832221.post5971237519172804537..comments2023-08-24T06:26:08.540-07:00Comments on My Prostate Stats: PSA Recurrence Statsprostatedochttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14908741772472613773noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7935117439180832221.post-12251425742107095242012-08-13T05:48:23.679-07:002012-08-13T05:48:23.679-07:00Dear Doc,
I underwent RP in Sept. 07 and was reco...Dear Doc,<br /><br />I underwent RP in Sept. 07 and was recording 0.0 PSAs for 48 months. <br /><br />Until last week.<br /><br />My PSA is now at 0.01<br /><br />I have read all of your explanations about ultra sensitive versus standard assays, but I am still confused.<br /><br />* Is my 0.01 PSA now considered BCR failure? Or putting it another way, is my PSA rising? <br /><br />* Recent studies are beginning to show that ultra sensitive PSAs can catch BCR failure 18 months earlier than standard tests. And a few studies seem to indicate that earlier salvage treatment is the best approach for survival.<br /><br />If this is the case, why aren't men using the information from ultra sensitive tests to jump on the salvage radiation earlier? <br /><br />And why are doctors still advising patients to wait until .1 and even .2 before taking any steps? <br /><br />One answer I see frequently is that a lot of 'noise' is created by the ultra sensitive tests, but what exactly does that mean? No one ever explains that.<br /><br />Another answer is that benign prostate tissue left over from surgery could be producing the PSA. But in my case, wouldn't that have been discovered years ago?<br /><br />Thanks for answering.<br /><br />Mark Ragan<br /><br />-- Negative margins<br />-- No evidence of cancer in lymph nodes, which were removed, or anywhere else.<br />-- 40 percent cancer involvement in tumor<br /><br />Mark Raganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16624331979432127352noreply@blogger.com