What happens if I am diagnosed with prostate cancer?

There are very aggressive and less aggressive types of prostate cancer. This is classified by calculating the Gleason score.

A distinction is also made between localised and metastatic prostate cancer. This relates to whether or not the cancer has already spread (metastasised) to form secondary cancers in other parts of the body.

Ruling out metastases may require the use of imaging procedures such as a CT scan, MRI scan, skeletal scintigraphy (bone scan) or possibly a PET-CT scan. The standard procedure is usually to carry out a CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis and a bone scan, but which procedures are actually required or useful is decided on a case-by-case basis.

On the following pages we offer an overview of treatment options for the various stages of prostate cancer.