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slow psa rise after radical prostetectomy

I'm 59 after a RP in 02 my psa has been slowly going up .01 every 6 months, sometimes down. In Jan. 2011 was at .25 from .19 in Oct. 2010. Saw a Rad. Oncologist and had another test in 4-11. it is now .22. RO says to have salvage radiation or wait and check again in 3mos.Told me that only 1 of 20 have any side affects like incon., ED, etc.after radiation. I have read that some Rad. Oncologist wait till psa gets to .4 or .5. What is the norm? I'm on the fence about what to do now, but prefer to watch and wait.
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Avatar universal
My urologist has told me that when the psa reaches 0.2 after the op, and that may take some time depending on the staging, it will be time to take action. Some folks will start even sooner, even at 0.o5. I would suggest see your urologist.
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Avatar universal
I'm a little embarrassed to be on this site but since my husband tends to bury his head in the sand, I am left to do research.  Your situation closely resembles his experiences.  He was only 54 when diagnosed in 2004.  He had laparoscopic prostate removal and his psa tests were negative for 30 months.  Then they gradually went upward over the course of one year to 0.09.  His urologist was very proactive about him getting radiation therapy so he did.  Proud to announce that the side effects were "ZERO".  At that point, his psa still measured less than .1 so we were satisfied.  Now, 2.5 years later he had a psa test of 0.2...I'm thinking that's not so good, but his primary care physician has not even mentioned it as being abnormal.  I am waiting for any, and all, input from medhelp doctors and members who may be dealing with similar situations.  I wish you well as you deal with these health issues.  I don't know about you but I'm not a huge fan of prostates, these days :)
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