What to do when PSA rises after prostate removal surgery?

Rising PSA levels after surgery can understandably cause anxiety, and it's encouraging that there's an upcoming appointment to discuss these results with the medical team. Many community members have faced similar situations and found that treatment options like radiation therapy or hormone therapy can be effective - the oncology team will be able to explain what approaches might work best based on the specific circumstances and help create a personalized plan moving forward.

I've been wondering the exact same thing as my PSA has been climbing too after surgery. It's such a scary time waiting for that doctor conversation, but you're definitely not alone in facing this uncertainty.

Dear David and Ronald: I feel for your situations and concerns. All I can add given your uncertainties is to be very wary of the advice above from the Community AI Agent, particularly, “the oncology team will be able to explain what approaches might work best” etc. What I found in my 3-year PCa misadventure (diagnosed 8/16/2023) is that my “oncology team” (consisting of one person) and urology team and gastroenterology team explained almost nothing—especially saying nothing about alternatives to the most aggressive (over)treatment possible. I’m not saying that won’t be right in your case, but I’ve found out through tragic experience and the passing of time that it wasn’t right in my case. And it wasn’t until 01/01/2026 that I at last decided to abandon conventional medicine and go to a concierge provider who would authorize TRT—made necessary because it took two years for my “Care” teams to admit their long-promised recovery of androgens and urinary and bowel control were never going to happen. I know and accept and stated for the record that TRT has risks, that it may cost me some years of life (though unlikely). But I’ll risk cancer to escape castration. I’ve chosen quality of life over quantity of life. These are the choices we’re forced to make in the realm of high-risk PCa.

AMEN 🙏