How to Know What Questions to ask Your Doctor When First Diagnosed With Prostate Cancer

The prostate gland is located in man's abdomen, just below the bladder, and cancer of this organ occurs when a malignant tumor has attack the cells in the prostate. Patients will have many questions for their doctor when first diagnosed with prostate cancer, many of which will address the severity of the condition and the treatment options available. However, there are other, less obvious questions you should ask if you've received a prostate cancer diagnosis.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• Oncologist

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Instructions

• 1

  Know what 'Gleason grading' is, and ask your doctor about it. The Gleason grading scale has been gaining wider and wider acceptance as a way to describe cancer patients' prognosis. It involves the evaluation of cancer cells found during a biopsy to determine how quickly your tumor is likely to spread.

• 2

  Ask your doctor what stage your cancer has reached. There are two main systems for describing cancer staging: The A-B-C-D (or 1-2-3-4) system, with Stage A (or 1) being the least severe and Stage D (or 4) being the most serious. The 'TNM' (Tumor-Node-Metastasis) scale describes whether the cancer tumor is confined to one area, whether it has spread to your lymph nodes, or whether it has reached metastasis.

• 3

  Find out what additional tests you need to have performed after you're first diagnosed to determine the severity of your condition and what treatment options to pursue. Ask if you're going to need an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) test, a CT (computed topography) test or bone scan to determine whether or not the malignant tumor has spread.

• 4

  Be informed about how long you have to decide upon a treatment strategy. If you were fortunate enough to have your cancer detected in an early stage, aggressive, immediate treatment is usually recommended.

• 5

  Ask questions about the different treatment options available to you. Be aware that clinical trials and experimental treatments may be an option if your prostate cancer does not respond to conventional treatment.

• 6

  Get a referral to a surgeon or radiation therapy specialist from your primary care physician. He or she should know where to send you for sound treatment.

• 7

  Make sure you ask your doctor about any lifestyle adjustments that may be necessary to prepare you for treatment. Prostate cancer patients are generally advised to eat healthy, get plenty of rest and abstain from smoking and drinking alcohol, at minimum.