The National Cancer Institute estimates that 217,730 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States in 2010. Following diagnosis, the primary treatment for prostate cancer is often a prostatectomy -- surgery to remove the prostate gland, as well as surrounding cancerous tissue. Though prostate cancer surgery may prove successful in many cases, some patients may develop prostate cancer symptoms even after surgical treatment.
Pain
One possible symptom of prostate cancer after surgery is pain. In addition to the pain associated with recovery following surgery, patients may also experience pain as a result of regrowth of the prostate cancer. Any cancer missed during surgery may form a tumor, which can place pressure on surrounding nerves, causing pain. The regrowth of prostate cancer may lead to pain in the abdomen, pelvis or lower back, depending on the specific site of the tumor. Patients experiencing prolonged pain during, or after, healing from prostate cancer surgery should seek medical attention to address the possibility of a recurrence.
Rising PSA Blood Levels
Another possible symptom of prostate cancer after surgery is a rise in blood PSA levels, according to Mid-Atlantic Urology Associates. PSA is prostate-specific antigen, a protein generated within prostate cells. Under normal conditions, patients have a low PSA level in the blood, since a healthy prostate does not secrete PSA. However, the development of prostate cancer can cause PSA to leak into the blood, leading to a significant rise in PSA in the blood. Patients who have undergone prostate cancer surgery often receive follow-up blood tests to test for regrowth of the cancer, and patients with increasing PSA levels should undergo additional testing to investigate their conditions.
Bone Symptoms
Another symptom of prostate cancer after surgery is bone pain and bone fractures. Bone symptoms indicate the presence of metastatic prostate cancer, in which the cancer cells have migrated away from the primary prostate tumor and traveled into bone tissue, a common site of metastasis, according to the Prostate Cancer Treatment Guide. Early cancer growth in the bone can lead to pain, since tumor growth in the bones damages surrounding tissue, leading to discomfort around the site of the tumor. In more advanced stages, the cancer can begin to eat away at the bone, leading to a loss of bone mineralization and leaving the patient vulnerable to bone fracture. Prostate cancer patients who experience bone pain or bone fractures after surgery should seek immediate medical attention to address the possibility of prostate cancer regrowth in their bone tissue.
