The study found that 819 of the patients, or 29 percent, experienced a detectable PSA level years after surgery. The PSA level recurred five years after surgery in 160 patients, or six percent. The highest rate of recurrence was during the first two years after radical prostatectomy for the entire population studied, but recurrences were seen as late as 10 years after surgery. The PSA test measures the amount of the prostate-specific antigen protein in the blood. A detectable reading strongly suggests cancer recurrence.
Radical prostatectomy involves surgical removal of the entire prostate gland and adjacent glands.
The surgery remains the best treatment for cancer that is localized to the prostate. Minn. According to the newest data at Mayo Clinic, men undergoing radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer have a better than 90 percent chance of living 10 years after the surgery. This year, about 180,000 men in this country will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and about 32,000 will die from it. The PSA test can detect the recurrence of the cancer, which then allows for prompt treatment.