Questions to Ask Your Surgeon Before Robotic Prostate Surgery: Stage, Plan and Follow-Up

The consultation usually lasts about twenty minutes. The man sitting across the desk has been carrying the biopsy result around for a fortnight, folded in a jacket pocket, and he has rehearsed what he wants to say. Then the surgeon begins talking about margins and grade groups and the robot, and somewhere around the third diagram the rehearsed questions evaporate. He nods. He leaves with a date and a leaflet, and the real questions arrive in the car park.

That gap, between what a surgeon says and what a patient manages to ask, is where this guide lives. The questions to ask before robotic prostatectomy are not complicated, but they are easy to forget under pressure, and they fall into three groups that mirror the title: what stage is this, what exactly is the plan, and what happens afterward.

Bring the list. Bring someone to write down the answers. Good surgeons welcome both.

What actually happens during a robotic prostatectomy?

A radical prostatectomy is an operation to remove the entire prostate gland, the seminal vesicles attached to it, and sometimes nearby lymph nodes. In the robotic-assisted version, the surgeon does not stand over an open incision. Instead, five or six small cuts are made across the lower abdomen, a camera and slim instruments are passed through them, and the surgeon controls those instruments from a console a few feet away. The robot does nothing on its own; it translates the surgeon’s hand movements into finer, tremor-free motions inside the pelvis, with a magnified three-dimensional view.

Once the prostate is out, the surgeon must reconnect the bladder to the urethra, the tube that carries urine out of the body. This join is called the anastomosis, and it is why every patient wakes up with a catheter in place: a soft tube that drains urine while the stitched connection heals. The removed tissue goes to a pathologist, whose report, available a week or two later, is often more informative than the biopsy that led to surgery.

Why does the method matter to your questions? Because the robotic approach is a tool, not a treatment philosophy. Mayo Clinic describes it as one of several ways to perform the same cancer operation, with smaller incisions and typically less blood loss than open surgery, but the cancer outcomes depend on the same things they always did: how far the disease has spread, and how completely and carefully it is removed. Ask your surgeon how many of these operations they perform, not because volume is a magic number, but because the honest answer tells you how comfortable they are discussing the hard parts.

Why the questions to ask before robotic prostatectomy start with stage, not the robot

Patients often arrive wanting to talk about the technology. Surgeons are happy to oblige. Yet the most consequential conversation is about the cancer itself, because stage and grade decide whether surgery is the right idea at all, and what version of it makes sense.

Three numbers describe most localized prostate cancers. The first is PSA, prostate-specific antigen, a protein made by prostate cells that is measured in blood; a higher level raises concern, though it rises for benign reasons too. The second is the grade group, a scale from 1 to 5 derived from the Gleason score, which describes how abnormal the biopsy cells look under the microscope; grade group 1 cells still resemble normal prostate tissue, grade group 5 cells barely do. The third is the clinical stage, written as a T number, which describes how much of the gland is involved and whether the tumor appears to extend beyond it, based on examination and imaging.

The National Cancer Institute’s patient treatment summary groups these together into risk categories, and those categories, not the robot, drive the recommendation. A man with grade group 1 disease and a low PSA may be offered active surveillance rather than any immediate treatment. A man with grade group 4 or 5 disease may be told that surgery alone might not be enough and that radiation or hormone therapy could follow.

So the first question is simple: what is my risk group, and which specific findings put me there? If the answer is a single word, ask for the three numbers behind it. If the biopsy was done without MRI beforehand, ask whether imaging would change the picture. You are not second-guessing the surgeon. You are making sure you both start from the same page.

What to ask your urologist about your PSA, grade group and scans

Here the questions become concrete. Ask how many biopsy cores were taken, how many contained cancer, and what the highest grade group was in any single core. Two men can both be told they have grade group 2 cancer while one has a few millimeters in one core and the other has cancer in ten of twelve, and the plan may differ accordingly.

Ask whether an MRI of the prostate was performed and what it showed. Multiparametric MRI, a scan that combines several imaging sequences to map suspicious areas, has become routine in many pathways because it helps identify tumors that standard biopsies can miss and can show whether the capsule, the thin outer layer of the gland, looks intact. The NHS lists MRI among the standard investigations for suspected prostate cancer.

Ask whether staging scans beyond the prostate are needed. For low-risk disease they usually are not; for higher-risk disease, a bone scan, CT, or a newer PSMA PET scan, which uses a tracer that binds to a protein on prostate cancer cells, may be recommended to check for spread before committing to surgery. The National Cancer Institute’s treatment summary explains that imaging to detect spread is generally reserved for men whose PSA, grade or stage make spread more plausible. If your surgeon says scans are not needed, ask them to tell you why in terms of your numbers.

Finally, ask about PSA density, which is PSA divided by prostate volume. A high PSA in a very large gland can be less alarming than the same reading in a small one. Not every clinician mentions it, but it is a reasonable question, and it signals that you want the reasoning, not just the verdict.

Who is robotic prostatectomy usually for, and who is usually asked to wait?

Surgery is generally offered to men whose cancer appears confined to the prostate or its immediate surroundings, who are fit enough for a general anesthetic lasting a few hours, and who are expected to live long enough to benefit from removing the gland. The NHS treatment pages frame radical prostatectomy as an option for cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate, with the explicit note that it is major surgery with lasting side effects.

Who is usually asked to wait, or steered elsewhere? Men with grade group 1 disease and low PSA are increasingly offered active surveillance, which means regular PSA tests, repeat MRI and sometimes repeat biopsy, with treatment reserved for signs of progression. Both the NHS and the National Cancer Institute describe active surveillance as a standard option for low-risk disease, not a lesser one. Men with significant heart or lung disease may be guided toward radiation, which does not require anesthesia. Men whose scans suggest spread beyond the pelvis are typically treated with systemic therapy rather than surgery, since removing the prostate does not address disease elsewhere.

Age alone is not a cut-off, but overall health and life expectancy are part of every honest discussion, because the side effects of surgery arrive immediately while its benefits accrue over years. Previous abdominal surgery, a very large prostate, or prior pelvic radiation can make the operation technically harder and may change the recommended approach.

The question to ask, then, is not “am I a candidate?” but “what about my case makes surgery the better choice over surveillance or radiation, and what would make you change your mind?” A surgeon who can answer the second half has thought about you, not just the operation.

Questions about alternatives: surveillance, radiation and hormone therapy

Every reputable guideline treats localized prostate cancer as a decision with several defensible answers. Asking about alternatives is not an insult to the surgeon. It is how you find out whether the recommendation is tailored or reflexive.

Ask whether active surveillance is appropriate for your risk group and, if the answer is no, which finding rules it out. Ask about external beam radiotherapy, which delivers focused X-rays over a course of sessions, and about brachytherapy, in which radioactive seeds or temporary sources are placed inside the gland. The NHS describes both as treatments for localized disease with their own side-effect profiles, which lean toward bowel and bladder irritation rather than the early incontinence more typical after surgery.

Ask whether hormone therapy would be part of your pathway. Androgen deprivation therapy, which lowers testosterone because prostate cancer cells use it to grow, is commonly combined with radiation for intermediate- and high-risk disease and is not usually given alongside surgery. Whether it is mentioned, and in what context, tells you how your surgeon views your risk.

Then ask the question that patients rarely do: if I choose surgery and the pathology turns out worse than expected, what happens next? Some men will be advised to have radiation after surgery, either straight away or if PSA starts to rise. Knowing that this is a possibility beforehand means it will not feel like a failure if it comes.

Many hospitals route prostate cancer decisions through a multidisciplinary team, a meeting of surgeons, radiation oncologists, medical oncologists, radiologists and pathologists. Ask whether your case was discussed there and whether a radiation oncologist would see you before you decide. The National Cancer Institute notes that treatment choice should weigh the patient’s preferences alongside the medical facts, and preferences are hard to form without hearing both sides.

Questions about the surgical plan: nerve sparing, lymph nodes and margins

Three planning decisions shape your recovery more than the robot does, and you should hear your surgeon’s intention on each before the day.

The first is nerve sparing. Two bundles of nerves run along the sides of the prostate and carry the signals for erections. The surgeon can try to peel the prostate away from them on both sides, on one side, or on neither, depending on where the cancer sits. Johns Hopkins explains that nerve sparing is a balance: preserving the nerves helps sexual function recover, but if cancer sits close to the capsule on that side, sparing them risks leaving tumor behind. Ask: do you plan to spare the nerves, on which side, and what would make you change that decision during the operation?

The second is lymph node dissection. Lymph nodes are small filters that cancer can spread to first, and removing the pelvic nodes lets the pathologist check them. For low-risk disease it is often omitted; for higher-risk disease an extended dissection is common. Removing nodes adds a little time and a small risk of lymphocele, a fluid collection, so ask whether it is planned and why.

The third is margins. A surgical margin is the edge of the removed tissue; a positive margin means cancer cells reach that edge, raising the chance that some remain. Ask what your surgeon does to minimize that risk given where your tumor is, and how a positive margin would be handled if it appears on the final report.

Ask, too, who will be at the console. In teaching hospitals a trainee may perform parts of the operation under supervision. That is normal and safe when done properly, but you are entitled to know.

How long does robotic prostatectomy take, and what happens on the day?

Patients ask this constantly, partly for the family in the waiting room and partly because operation length feels like a proxy for seriousness. Johns Hopkins puts the operating time for a robotic prostatectomy at roughly two to four hours, and the figure stretches when lymph nodes are removed, when the prostate is very large, or when scar tissue from previous surgery slows the dissection. Add time for anesthesia before and recovery afterward, and a family should expect to wait most of a day.

The day itself follows a predictable rhythm. You will have fasted overnight. An anesthetist will see you, confirm your medicines and allergies, and place a drip. Compression stockings or inflatable leg sleeves are fitted to lower the risk of clots in the legs. In the operating room you are positioned head-down on a tilted table so that the bowel falls away from the pelvis and gives the camera a clear view; this steep tilt is one reason men with serious heart or lung conditions are assessed carefully beforehand.

Carbon dioxide gas is used to inflate the abdomen and create working space. After the prostate is removed through one of the small incisions and the bladder is reconnected to the urethra, the catheter is placed and the incisions are closed with dissolvable stitches or glue. Many men also wake with a small drain near the incisions for a day or so.

Questions worth asking about the day: who will speak to my family afterward, how soon will I know whether nerve sparing was possible, and what will I be able to do on the first evening? Most programs encourage walking within hours. MedlinePlus notes that hospital stays after radical prostatectomy range from about one to four days, with the robotic approach typically at the shorter end.

Questions about risks, asked in a way that gets straight answers

Risk discussions can go two ways. Some surgeons rattle through a list for consent purposes; others pause on the risks that matter most for you. You can steer toward the second by asking specific questions.

Start with the general surgical risks that MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic list for prostatectomy: bleeding, infection, clots in the legs or lungs, and injury to nearby structures such as the rectum, bladder or ureters. These are uncommon but real, and worth knowing by name so that you recognize warning signs afterward.

Move to the prostate-specific ones. Urinary incontinence, the leaking of urine, is expected in the early weeks for most men because the prostate normally helps hold urine back and the sphincter muscle below it must take over. Erectile dysfunction is common and depends heavily on whether nerves were spared, on age, and on function before surgery. Loss of ejaculation is universal, because the glands that make semen are removed, and this means natural conception is no longer possible. Ask about sperm banking if that matters to you. A less discussed risk is a change in penile length, which the NHS mentions among possible effects.

Later complications include narrowing of the bladder-urethra join, called a stricture, which can need a minor procedure, and hernias at the incision sites.

Rather than asking “what are the risks?” try: which of these are most likely in my case, what do you do to reduce them, and what would it look like if one happened? Ask also how often your team has had to convert to open surgery, which Mayo Clinic notes is a possibility when the robotic approach cannot be completed safely. Honest numbers here will be local and personal, not a global statistic.

Robotic prostatectomy recovery time: what the first days and weeks usually look like

Recovery has two tracks that run at different speeds: the incisions heal in days, the pelvic floor and nerves recover over months. Knowing which track you are on at any moment keeps expectations realistic.

Period	What is typical	Question to ask
Day 0–1	Walking within hours, drinking, light food; catheter and sometimes a drain in place	Who will teach me to manage the catheter at home?
Days 1–4	Discharge from hospital (MedlinePlus range); bruising and gas-related shoulder discomfort common	What pain relief plan will I go home with, and who adjusts it?
Weeks 1–2	Catheter removed, typically after one to two weeks (Mayo Clinic); leakage usually begins once it is out	Will a cystogram X-ray check the join before removal?
Weeks 2–6	Pathology discussed; pelvic floor exercises in earnest; gradual return to walking distance	When can I lift, drive and return to work?
Weeks 6–12	First PSA after surgery (National Cancer Institute); continence improving for many	What PSA result are we hoping for, and what would prompt action?
Months 3–18	Continued recovery of continence and, where nerves were spared, erectile function	What support is available if recovery is slower than hoped?

Two practical points deserve emphasis. First, Mayo Clinic advises avoiding heavy lifting and strenuous activity for several weeks because strain on the healing abdominal wall and bladder join can cause problems. Ask for a specific weight and a specific date rather than “take it easy.” Second, the catheter is the part men dread and the part they manage best once shown how; ask for the demonstration before discharge, not a leaflet after it.

Questions about continence and sexual function after surgery

These two topics generate more anxiety than any discussion of cancer control, and they are the ones patients most often leave the room without having raised. Raise them.

On continence, ask what your surgeon expects for someone of your age and anatomy, and what the plan is if leakage persists. The NHS explains that most men regain control over the months after surgery, often with the help of pelvic floor exercises, which strengthen the muscles that now do the work the prostate used to share. Ask whether you will be referred to a pelvic floor physiotherapist before surgery, because learning the exercises with a catheter in place is harder than learning them beforehand. Ask what pads to bring home, and when persistent leakage would prompt further assessment. For a minority, procedures such as a sling or an artificial sphincter exist; knowing they exist is reassuring even if you never need them.

On sexual function, ask the blunt questions. Will my nerves be spared? How long does recovery usually take when they are? Johns Hopkins notes that erectile recovery after nerve-sparing surgery is gradual and may continue for a year or more, which surprises men who expect a yes-or-no answer at six weeks. Ask whether the team uses a penile rehabilitation program, which usually involves medicines from the phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor class or vacuum devices to encourage blood flow while nerves heal; whether, when and how to use any of these is a decision for your prescribing clinician, and the evidence for the best approach remains mixed.

Ask about orgasm, which remains possible without ejaculation, and about the small risk of urine leakage during sex, which is rarely mentioned and often distressing when it happens unannounced. Ask whether a partner can join these conversations. Recovery is easier when two people know what to expect.

Questions about follow-up: PSA, the pathology report and what comes next

Surgery is a chapter, not the book. Follow-up after prostatectomy rests on one simple fact: with the prostate gone, PSA should fall to very low or undetectable levels, and a rising PSA afterward is the earliest signal that cancer cells remain somewhere. The National Cancer Institute’s treatment summary describes PSA monitoring as the standard way to watch for recurrence after local treatment.

Ask when your first PSA will be checked, which laboratory will run it, and how often tests will continue. Many programs test every few months in the first years and less often later, but the schedule is yours to ask about. Ask what level would be considered a biochemical recurrence, the term for PSA rising above a defined threshold without any visible disease on scans, and what would happen then.

Ask who will go through the pathology report with you and when. The report will state the final grade group, whether the cancer reached the margins, whether it extended through the capsule or into the seminal vesicles, and whether any lymph nodes contained cancer. These details can upgrade or downgrade your risk compared with the biopsy and determine whether anyone suggests radiation after surgery. Ask for a copy. It is your record, and it will matter if you ever see a different clinician.

Ask who to contact between appointments if something feels wrong, and whether a specialist nurse is part of the team. Ask how long follow-up continues; many guidelines suggest years rather than months. Ask, finally, whether survivorship support exists for the parts of recovery that are not measured in PSA: fatigue, mood, body image and relationships. A team that can answer that question has thought about the whole patient.

Questions to ask about preparing your body and your medicines

Preparation questions are less about doing things and more about finding out what your team wants from you and why. Begin with medicines. Ask which of your regular prescriptions, supplements and over-the-counter products need to be reviewed before surgery. Mayo Clinic advises telling your surgeon about everything you take, because medicines that affect clotting, including some anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs and herbal products, may need adjustment before an operation. Never make those changes yourself; ask who will give the instruction, in writing, and when.

Ask whether a pre-assessment visit will include blood tests, a heart tracing or other checks, and what would delay the operation. Ask about diabetes management around fasting, if that applies to you, since blood sugar control affects wound healing.

Ask what the team recommends about fitness. There is general evidence that being active before major surgery supports recovery, and walking is the safest universal preparation. If you smoke, ask about stopping; the NHS notes that smoking raises the risk of surgical complications and slows healing, and your team can advise on support.

Ask whether you should start pelvic floor exercises before surgery, and whether someone can check your technique, because many men contract the wrong muscles. Ask about bowel preparation, which varies between programs. Ask about alcohol, since it interacts with anesthesia and with pain relief afterward.

Then ask the logistical questions that are easy to overlook: how long will I be unable to drive, do I need someone at home for the first days, what loose clothing suits a catheter, and what should I bring to hospital? A short written list from your team is worth more than any general advice, because it reflects how your hospital actually runs.

What people often get wrong about robotic prostatectomy

Myth one: the robot operates. It does not. Every movement is made by the surgeon at the console; the machine filters tremor and adds magnification. The skill and judgment are human, which is why asking about your surgeon’s experience makes sense and asking about the machine’s model does not.

Myth two: robotic surgery means no side effects. The incisions are smaller and blood loss is typically less than with open surgery, as Mayo Clinic describes, but the prostate still comes out, the bladder is still reconnected, and the nerves still sit in the same difficult place. Incontinence and erectile dysfunction are consequences of removing the gland, not of the method used to do it.

Myth three: if the surgeon offers surgery, surveillance would be reckless. For low-risk disease, active surveillance is a guideline-endorsed option, and the National Cancer Institute lists it alongside surgery and radiation. Choosing to watch is a decision, not an absence of one.

Myth four: a positive margin or a slightly detectable PSA means the operation failed. It means the picture is more complicated and that further treatment may be discussed. Many pathways anticipate exactly this.

Myth five: once the catheter is out, you will know your result. Continence and erectile recovery unfold over months; the first weeks tell you very little about the destination.

Myth six: symptoms reveal how aggressive the cancer is. Most localized prostate cancers cause no symptoms at all, and urinary symptoms are far more often due to benign enlargement. Aggressiveness is judged by grade group, PSA and stage, not by how you feel.

Myth seven: more questions annoy the surgeon. In practice, surgeons describe well-prepared patients as easier to care for, because shared expectations prevent the hardest conversations later.

Questions to ask your care team: a list to take into the room

Here is the list, grouped the way the consultation tends to flow. You will not need all of it; pick what matters to you and leave space for the answers.

About the cancer

• What is my PSA, grade group and clinical stage, and which risk group do they place me in?
• How many biopsy cores were positive, and what did the MRI show?
• Do I need any further scans before deciding, and if not, why not?

About the choice

• Is active surveillance reasonable for me? Is radiation? What makes surgery the better option in my case?
• Was my case discussed at a multidisciplinary meeting?
• Can I see a radiation oncologist before I decide?

About the plan

• Do you plan to spare the nerves, on which sides, and what would change that during surgery?
• Will lymph nodes be removed, and why or why not?
• How many robotic prostatectomies do you perform each year, and who else will be operating?
• Which of my medicines need review, and who will instruct me?

About recovery

• How long will I be in hospital, and when will the catheter come out?
• What is your realistic expectation for my continence and sexual function, and over what timeframe?
• Will I see a pelvic floor physiotherapist before surgery?
• When can I drive, lift and work?

About afterward

• When is my first PSA, what result are we hoping for, and what would prompt further treatment?
• Who goes through my pathology report with me, and can I have a copy?
• Who do I call if something feels wrong at home?

Ask whether you may record the conversation on your phone. Many clinicians agree, and the recording captures the details that nerves erase.

When to call your doctor after robotic prostatectomy

Recovery at home comes with a catheter, a set of healing incisions and a body that has had a few hours of anesthesia. Some discomfort, bruising around the incisions, bladder spasms and small amounts of blood or debris in the catheter bag are expected and are explained before discharge. Certain signs are not expected, and MedlinePlus and Mayo Clinic agree that they warrant a prompt call to your surgical team or emergency care.

Contact your team the same day if the catheter stops draining or urine leaks around it despite the bag being empty, if your urine turns deep red or contains clots that block flow, if you develop a fever or shaking chills, or if any incision becomes increasingly red, hot, swollen or leaks pus or cloudy fluid. Call if your abdomen becomes distended and painful, if you cannot pass wind or have persistent vomiting, or if you have worsening pain that your prescribed relief no longer controls.

Seek emergency care without waiting if you have chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or coughing up blood, which can signal a clot that has travelled to the lungs; if one calf becomes swollen, warm and tender, which can signal a clot in the leg; if you faint or feel your heart racing with lightheadedness; or if you have heavy bleeding from an incision or the urethra that does not slow with gentle pressure.

After the catheter is out, a short period of being unable to pass urine at all, especially with lower abdominal fullness, needs same-day assessment because the healing join can occasionally narrow. Burning on urination with fever may indicate infection and should be checked.

You will usually be given a direct number for the urology ward or a specialist nurse. Use it. Teams would rather hear about a false alarm than find out later about a real one.

Frequently asked questions

What are the most important questions to ask before robotic prostatectomy?

Ask what your PSA, grade group and stage mean for your risk group; whether active surveillance or radiation are reasonable alternatives; whether the surgeon plans to spare the nerves and remove lymph nodes; what realistic continence and erectile recovery look like for you; which medicines need review and who will instruct you; and how PSA follow-up and the pathology discussion will work afterward.

How long does robotic prostatectomy take?

Johns Hopkins describes robotic prostatectomy as taking roughly two to four hours of operating time. Lymph node removal, a very large prostate or scar tissue from earlier surgery can extend that. Families should allow most of a day once anesthesia preparation and recovery room time are included, and ask who will update them when the operation finishes.

What is the typical robotic prostatectomy recovery time?

MedlinePlus gives a hospital stay of about one to four days after radical prostatectomy, with robotic cases usually at the shorter end, and Mayo Clinic notes the catheter typically stays for one to two weeks. Incisions heal within weeks, but continence and, where nerves were spared, erectile function recover over months, sometimes a year or more, so ask your team for expectations specific to you.

What should I ask my urologist about prostate cancer before deciding on treatment?

Ask for your risk group and the three findings behind it, whether MRI and staging scans have been done, whether your case went to a multidisciplinary meeting, and whether a radiation oncologist can see you before you decide. Ask what would make your urologist recommend against surgery, and what happens if the final pathology is worse than the biopsy suggested.

What are the signs of aggressive prostate cancer?

Aggressiveness is judged by grade group, PSA level and stage on biopsy and imaging, not by symptoms. Most localized prostate cancers, including high-grade ones, cause no symptoms at all, and urinary changes are far more often due to benign enlargement. Symptoms such as bone pain or unexplained weight loss can occur when cancer has spread, which is why staging scans are recommended for higher-risk disease. Discuss any new symptom with your doctor.

Is active surveillance a safe alternative to robotic prostatectomy?

For low-risk disease, active surveillance is a guideline-endorsed option that the National Cancer Institute and NHS list alongside surgery and radiation. It involves regular PSA tests, repeat MRI and sometimes repeat biopsy, with treatment offered if the cancer shows signs of progressing. Whether it suits you depends on your grade group, PSA, biopsy extent and preferences, which is a conversation for your treating team.

Will I be incontinent after robotic prostatectomy?

Some urine leakage in the early weeks after catheter removal is expected for most men, because the sphincter muscle must take over work the prostate used to share. The NHS explains that control usually improves over the following months, helped by pelvic floor exercises. Ask your surgeon for expectations specific to your age and anatomy, and whether a physiotherapist can teach the exercises before surgery.

What should I ask about nerve sparing?

Ask whether the surgeon plans to spare the nerve bundles on both sides, one side or neither, what in your MRI or biopsy drives that plan, and what would change it during the operation. Johns Hopkins notes that nerve sparing balances sexual function against the risk of leaving cancer behind when the tumor sits near the capsule. Ask also how recovery is supported afterward and over what timeframe.

What not to do during prostate radiation treatment?

This depends on your radiation plan and should come from your radiation oncology team. General advice usually covers maintaining a consistent bladder and bowel routine before each session because organ position affects accuracy, protecting treated skin from irritation, and reporting bowel or urinary symptoms promptly. Ask the team for written instructions specific to your treatment rather than relying on general lists.

What happens if my PSA is detectable after surgery?

After prostatectomy, PSA is expected to fall to very low or undetectable levels. A detectable or rising result, known as biochemical recurrence, prompts your team to review the pathology, consider imaging and discuss options such as radiation to the prostate bed or hormone therapy. Ask before surgery what threshold your team uses and what the next step would be, so a result like this arrives with a plan already in place.

References

• NHS: Prostate cancer – Treatment
• MedlinePlus: Radical prostatectomy

This article is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a qualified doctor about your individual situation.