Patient information from BMJ

Prostate cancer: questions to ask your doctor

Last published:Jan 30, 2023

If you've been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you may want to talk to your doctor to find out more. Here are some questions you may want to ask.

Are you sure that I have cancer?
How reliable are the tests you used to diagnose my prostate cancer?
How big is my tumour?
Has my prostate cancer spread? If so, where to? What stage is it (this reflects the size of the tumour and how far the cancer has spread)?
Do I need extra tests to see if the cancer has spread to my lymph nodes or other parts of my body? How reliable are these tests?
What is the grade of my prostate cancer? (This can tell you how aggressive your cancer is and how likely it is to spread.)
What about my age and my general health? Will this affect what will happen to me?
Will I get symptoms even if I don't have any now? What will they feel like?
Do I need treatment? If so, what are the best choices?
What will happen if I don’t have treatment?
Can treatments stop my cancer spreading and causing symptoms?
What are the side effects of treatment?

The patient information from BMJ Best Practice is regularly updated. The most recent version of Best Practice can be found at bestpractice.bmj.com. This information is intended for use by health professionals. It is not a substitute for medical advice. It is strongly recommended that you independently verify any interpretation of this material and, if you have a medical problem, see your doctor.

Please see BMJ's full terms of use at: bmj.com/company/legal-information. BMJ does not make any representations, conditions, warranties or guarantees, whether express or implied, that this material is accurate, complete, up-to-date or fit for any particular purposes.

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