1st LapCorp PSA .019 CRAP!

After 15 years of <0.03 at OhioHealth I had to switch to LapCorp because OhioHealth started using Quest, which gave me a result of .04 on my last PSA 12/10/2024.....So I went to LapCorp

I just got the LapCorp results...of .019 without the < symbol.....I know I switched labs and maybe my PSA has always been .019ish and just did not know it.....but I doubt it.....I guess a retest in 3 months to see I am having recurrence.

I had Johns Hopkins review my post RP this week and I was still G6 organ confined.....

Anyone else with a PSA in this range that remained low......Obviously, I was hoping for <.006 from LabCorp.

2008-2023 <0.03
2024 .04 Quest
2025 .019 LabCorp

RP 2008 Johns Hopkins
Gleason 6 organ confined.
Pathology re-read 1/16/2025 by Johns Hopinks re-confirmed Gleason 6 organ confined.

Post Edited (ChrisR) : 1/17/2025 9:27:35 AM (GMT-5)

Chris, that's certainly not what you were hoping for, and it may be that it's been like that for a long time.

Particularly with an organ confined G6, you'd be a very interesting research case. AFIAK, G6 is still considered non-metastatic, and any true recurrence would be a new, non G6 tumor, which is really weird sounding if you don't have a prostate.

Definitely re-check in 3 months, and if something is going on, you're going to need a really deep dive into scans and other dark arts to find whatever it is that is putting out PSA. OTOH, if you get another reading in that range, then take a deep breath and do your best to relax.

Are you thinking recurrence after all these years? At the time of my RP nine years ago, based on JHU research, I settled on ultrasensitive PSA and <0.010 as best indicator. I make sure the labs I use report to this value. I also look for two tests results to confirm and three to establish start of pattern - done 1-2 months apart.

Chris, re read what you posted in your newer thread.

ChrisR - From the glass is half full point of view, you have 16 years of <0.03 which is a very good and says "nothing important is going on". Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.

You can also look for posts about how often "<" has been accidentally been omitted in test reports. I actually knew one of those people so it really happens and the doctor called him to apologize for the lab error.

As Sailor noted, you may have answered your own concern.

I'm in extreme panic mode....all the old feelings of initial diagnosis are rushing back in.....I know a lot of people would trade places with me and I fully appreciate that....but I am doom and gloom expert.

The sky is falling by the way. Am I the only one who notices these things.

Post Edited (ChrisR) : 1/18/2025 11:38:37 AM (GMT-5)

Chris, I do not want to endorse fear nor denial. My third treatment, salvage pelvic lymph node surgery, confirmed six cancerous lymph nodes at uPSA 0.131. That cancer had to be present and growing at <0.10.

After my salvage lymph node surgery my uPSA held for 23 months at <0.010, no ADT. Then: eight months in 0.01X range; seven months in 0.02X range; today still holding 0.03X range since June 2021. (X = fluctuations in thousand value.)

I have been testing monthly/bimonthly with annual imaging and liquid blood biopsy testing. I accept this very low stable PSA is from cancer stem cells or senescent cells or another name. Why I keep a very close watch

Post Edited (NanoMRI) : 1/18/2025 2:57:31 PM (GMT-5)

Chris, while your emotional reaction is totally understandable, I think you should step back, take a deep breath, and try to take this one step at a time.
It’s one test, you need multiple tests to establish a trend.
.019, lets call it.02, is truly a negligible amount of PSA. It could be anything from a problem, to a lab error, to a minuscule amount of prostate tissue that was left behind in the surgery, and over 15 years grew enough to give off some PSA, FROM BENIGN PROSTATE TISSUE.

Please try not to jump to worst case scenario conclusions. It’s way too early.

P.S. keep in mind, even if it is something, you are likely years away from needing treatment, considering the low level of PSA , the confirmation of G6, and the time it took to become detectable.
Hang in there.

Dalota,

Thanks for the words of encouragement....I am starting feel a little better. I emailed Dr. Walsh at Johns Hopkins and he said not to worry about it....I think he has seen a few things in his career. He said measuring PSA below .03 is very inaccurate and that there are other things that can register that look like PSA and seeing an oncologist would be a waste of the oncologists time. I think your Dr. is correct, I have found numerous studies for people with <=3+4 with undetectable PSA after 10 years do not go on to develop metastatic disease even with BCR...but it is still something to watch....

I was 42 at diagnosis so I have a lot of years to see how this plays out and no studies go out 40 years with people who are diagnosed in post 2005 ISUP era, which as you know narrowed down gleason scores like yours and mine to less aggressive cancers.....

We face so many disparities. My salvage RT was done at 0.11, so yes in fact, US docs will treat at 0.1.

My salvage lymph node surgery was done at 0.13. Note I went to Europe for this - all US centers I consulted with recommended salvage RT to pelvic region and or ADT/chemo.

As I share I had six cancerous pelvic lymph nodes at 0.13. Cancer had to be there well below 0.1. My focus since my Dx ten years ago has been to defer ADT/CR for as long as possible. This focus of mine is not the focus of US health industry.

All my PSA test up to 15 years were <0.03 That was the lower limit of my lab.

This year was when I switched to LabCorp and got the .019 and then retest .021

Who knows if it has always been at this level because my old lab did go this low.

I was treated with SRT + ADT, 3 years after surgery, at a PSA of .08

The term “prostate-specific antigen” isn’t exactly correct, because there are other cells in the body that produce PSA at very low levels. Urethral glands can, and so can salivary glands, normal breast tissue and some cancers besides prostate. The parallel structures to the prostate gland in women, Skene’s glands, may produce PSA, but not enough to register on a blood test.


When a PSA level that was previously undetectable after treatment such as surgery starts rising, it is almost always due to recurrence of cancer. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case for you. I suspect the very low levels you see now are either due to a very small amount of normal prostate tissue left after surgery or other tissues making PSA. Levels below 0.1 ng/mL are of uncertain significance, and the fact that they have stayed low for 10 or more years is good evidence that there has been no recurrence of cancer.