Is rising PSA after prostatectomy something to worry about?

Changes in PSA levels after surgery understandably cause worry, and reaching out to this community shows great awareness in seeking support during monitoring. While each person's situation is unique and only a doctor can properly evaluate these specific numbers in context, many community members have navigated similar concerns about rising PSA levels post-surgery. Discussing these results with the medical team will provide the clearest guidance on next steps and help address any concerns about what these changes might mean.

Did you also have salvage radiation post radical prostatectomy?

My PSA was never “negligible” after my robot assisted radical prostatectomy. So I remained under observation until it began to rise significantly at a faster rate. Short answer is not just is your PDA rising but it’s also what the rate of change is (e.g., doubling), so your oncologist probably should be consulted.

I would be concerned. That’s a large rise in 3 months. Ask your doctor what is recommended at this time. However, to properly treat you, they need to know where the cancer is. A PSMA PET scan will show this. Highly recommend getting this scan.

With PSA, it’s not just the magnitude of the result. What can be even more important is the doubling time. Your PSA rose very sharply from April to July. Even though the 0.1 value is not large, the slope of the 2 data points is very high.

It’s smart to pay attention to this steady PSA rise. Even though 0.1 hasn’t hit the 0.2 biochemical recurrence cutoff yet, the upward slope matters most. Schedule a visit with your urologist soon to get their professional assessment.