need help understanding pathology report

[StephH72]

My husband had surgery last week (robotic prostatectomy), it’s a long story as to how that came about but they ruled out the rectal invasion and questioned lymph node involvement which then downgraded his staging based on multiple scans. Thankfully the lack of rectal invasion held true during surgery and it went well. However we are very confused by the pathology report. We were told there were positive margins at the bladder neck and soft tissue, but no lymph nodes found during ePLND, and hence he was again downgraded to a t3 stage. But I notice the report says “positive for bladder neck invasion”. Wouldn’t that be stage t4? They didn’t take any of the bladder neck and just 1 week out from surgery he has pretty good continence. I’m perplexed by the bladder neck invasion wording, as I didn’t think a positive margin at bladder neck was the same as an invasion. Invasion would mean he has part of the tumor in another organ and therefore it would be stage t4b? Tall_Allen I can’t send these images in pm so tagging you for feedback. Another image is in comments

[StephH72]

Second image from pathology report

Pathology report

[Justfor_ in reply to StephH72]

He is pT3b, very similar to my case. Check my bio to get a glimpse of what his future may look like. Probability of being BCR-less during the next 5 years, around 20%.

[TeleGuy in reply to StephH72]

The second page shows that they did remove the bladder neck because it is listed as one of the specimens examined.

[Tall_Allen]

Bladder neck is where the prostate connects to the bladder and includes the internal sphincter. I think it is still considered to be part of the prostate unless it invades his actual bladder. It is T3a and T3b, and positive margins.

[ChristopherH]

I was very similar but positive Lymph which made it Stage IV. On the bladder neck as I had as well is still Stage 3. I also had positive margins. Since still had PSA I had radiation and 6 Eligard shots