Psa After Radical Prostatectomy

Four months after a radical, my PSA is less than .03...Shouldn't it be zero?  It was 8.7 prior to surgery.  Doc said if it rises he will be concerned, but not to worry.

With very small PSA readings now possible, labs set a figure (eg in some instances .05) below which they regard as undetectable, and rises over .2 are often regarded as critical figures.

Greatest concern is when there are rapid rises in readings within 10 months of surgery.

As a survivor & long term student of the situation, agree with the above...3 exponential bump ups of psa over 9 mo.  would be a red flag...best wishes

I assume that your psa result was rendered thus:<0.03, as you said in your post that it was "less than .03". This means that the test used is accurate only to that level and your psa (if any) did not reach that level. It is undetectable by that assay. This is equivalent to zero, for clinical purposes. There are other psa tests which claim accuracy to lower levels, often as a method of competition in the laboratory business. You should consult your pathology result from your surgery to see if there are any reasons to be concerned. Without such cause, above assumption operating, your surgical result was excellent.

I agree with comments of others. A PSA reading of 0.03 is EXCELLENT....  Be concerned if your PSA rises to 0.20 or above. The key is the doubling time, if one year or more - very good. If your PSA doubles in less than 3 to 4 months, seek salvage treatment such as external radiation to the pelvic bed. Good luck - everything fine so far.