life expectancy after a prostatectomy
Hello,
I had prostate surgery 12 years ago. I was told I had an aggressive cancer. I had a prostatectomy. Periodically I had PSA tests and it was unrecognizable. About 6 months ago the PSA started to rise. 0.04 in September 2022, 0.05 in December and 0.07 in March. I am 59 years old. How long will I have to live? What is the life expectancy after a prostatectomy? I was told that once the PSA rises to 0.2 I will be referred to oncology. Will the treatments that follow be invasive? Will I still be able to work?
Thanks in advance for your answers
@ciobocle, I don't know the answer to your questions, but I just wanted to chime in on my father's experience. He got throat and prostate cancer over 20 years ago. He was in his 70s and everyone thought this was the end for him. He worked until he was 82. I went to see him yesterday because he couldn't wait for me to bring him a case of water. He is 90 and drove to the corner store. As you know, everyone is different and reacts to things differently. Someone will be along soon to add in more input from someone who has had the surgery themselves. Thanks for sharing and please let us know how things are going. Diane (Team Member)
Thank you very much Diane.
Hi There ... 10 years ago I was diagnosed with a contained Gleason 9 and had surgery to remove the prostate - All of my margins showed clear ... for the next 5 years my Post Op PSA was 0.02 then it started to rise.
I was treated with radiation and Lupron when my post-op number reached 1.3 --- Following that treatment protocol my PSA has remained undetectable. You may want to have a discussion with your Urologist about meeting with a radiation oncologist and/or a medical oncologist and asking about the need to undergo radiation and/or hormone treatment prior to your post op numbers reaching 2.0
I invite you to visit my website www.ThePostateCancerCoach.com where in the lower right corner you will find a section called my video journey - Here I describe my 8 weeks of treatment. Please understand that radiation is not an invasive procedure and most men go through it easily - I suspect you will have no issues working while undergoing treatment other than feeling a bit tired ... especially as you near the end of treatment cycle. I underwent 8 weeks of radiation. Some men have shorter treatment protocols depending on your specific situation. I hope this helps somewhat and suspect you will be around for a long time. Dennis (ProstateCancer.net TEAM)Thank you Denis. I really appreciate. I wait for an appointment with an urologist. I'm still below the 0.2 limit. My mother died of lung cancer at 70. I got cancer at 46. I wish I had survived at least 20 years after this cancer. My job has become very stressful in the last two years (I had a promotion). Maybe it would be better to retire at 60 and spend the last years of my life in peace. 
Hi
. I want to note that detecting and treating a recurrence of prostate cancer has come a long way (for example see: https://prostatecancer.net/treatment/psma-targeted-pet-imaging). Considering you are not even at the point of needing any treatment, I feel confident that your doctor will tell you that there is no reason to assume the worst. We have men here who were diagnosed with extensive stage 4 metastatic cancer years ago and are still going strong (see: https://prostatecancer.net/community-advocates/tony-collier and https://prostatecancer.net/community-advocates/dan-franke). Hope for a long, enjoyable life is real. Wishing you the best and please feel free to keep us posted on how you are doing. Richard (ProstateCancer.net Team)
Had mine removed in 2017 , it was split open and in nodes, had clear margins and advised all good. 2023 my psa has rose to .5 and now ready to start radiation and a new drug called relugalix.
Everyone's experience is different and everyone's oncologist treats their patient differently based on the circumstances of the patient and the disease. My husband had a prostatectomy 14 years ago after a psa reading of 85. His cancer had escaped the margins so he had chemotherapy, his psa was indetectable, then it rose again to 1.4 and he repeated the chemo. His psa is again rising and is currently above 3.0 but his oncologist said he won't treat until the psa rises significantly. My husband was 55 when initially diagnosed and is currently 70. I guess I said all that to reiterate what others have mentioned - everyone is different, everyone's disease is different, every oncologist is different. That's why it's so important to have confidence in your oncologist. I wish you the best.
