Recurrence after RALP?

Morning Nick

For the time being and, hopefully, until I drop down dead from something else, my PSA is still undetectable. I had my surgery at Addenbrookes in late December 21 and post-op they initially tested down to  0.04. In September 22 they changed the testing regime and only tested down to 0.1. My latest test on 04/07/23 recorded my PSA as less than 0.1. Apparently, men (And women) without a prostate can record small amounts of PSA which are created in other parts of the body so to avoid false readings and to allay fears Addenbrookes and a number of other hospitals are now only testing PSA down to 0.1.

Re undergoing surgery, there is evidence from the US ( A 10 year review) that even if the cancer has spread outside the prostate (mine was bulging out when it was cut and diced and my T reading was increased from a T2 to a T3a) removing the "mother ship" so it can't send signals around the body has better outcomes than if it is left in and radiated.

Good luck with your next course of treatment

Ivan

Ivan,

I guess testing to 0.1 removes a lot of the worry, until it breaches that of course. I hope yours stays there.

I didn’t know there was a variation in success rates between RP and RT. I was always told they were the same. It doesn’t change anything for me but useful to know.

cheers

Nick

For a T1 or T2, the success rate is almost identical for RP and RT. For men with T3, monotherapy RT has a better outcome than mono-RP but RP with adjuvant RT is even better. For men with mets, the US research suggested that removing the prostate could slow progression by switching off the feeder to the mets. 

Thanks Lyn. I don’t know if my T score will have changed after they found the nodule full of cancer during surgery. Not relevant now I suppose - but maybe I will ask the CNS if they’d have followed the same path if they’d known it was there, i.e. RP then RT, or if they would have gone for RT only. Or does that ‘what if’ way lie madness?!