Positive margins…Help please?

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My husband is recovering really well after having a robotic prostatectomy just before Christmas.His post op psa was undetectable <1 .He remains Gleason 3+3 but upgraded to t3a.

Two margins were positive but he was told it was a 1mm margin .What does this mean please?..1mm margin …Please can someone try to explain this bit to me and stop me worrying!! Thank you so much .

  • Good Evening   A warm welcome to the online Prostate Community.

    So upgraded to a T3a means that when the Prostate was removed the cancer had broken through the outer layer but has not spread to the seminal vesicles which are it's usual first port of call if it's going "walkabout".around your body.

    "A positive margin" (PSM) indicate the failure of the surgery to clear the cancer and there is a strip 1mm wide. If your husband is on hormone therapy then he may well stay on this for a while, if not it's usually Radiotherapy to zap the positive margin..

    Don't forget I am no medical expert but that's my understanding. To be sure you need to check with your oncology team or CNN.

    I hope this helps - it's very treatable and don't worry too much.

    Best wishes - Brian.

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  • All explained here:

    Putting Positive Surgical Margins into Perspective

    In a nutshell the surgery has left some cancer behind. However, dont despair over this your clinical team are aware and there are a number of very effective treatments available to deal with this situation. 

    Best of luck

    Rob