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Condition
Prostate cancer assessment
A thorough, carefully staged diagnostic pathway — with a clear explanation at every step, and treatment options tailored to you individually.
Mr Swallow provides assessment and diagnosis of prostate concerns, including raised PSA. Where a complex cancer is confirmed, your care is passed to a specialist uro-oncology team, and he will make sure that referral happens promptly and that you understand what comes next.
If a biopsy confirms cancer
Biopsy samples are examined under a microscope, and the pattern of cells is used to grade the cancer (the Gleason grade — a score describing how the cancer cells look). Your results are then reviewed at a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) meeting, bringing together several specialists to consider your individual case in detail, before your urologist discusses everything with you directly.
Staging investigations
To understand the full extent of the cancer, further scans may be arranged — such as a CT scan, a bone scan, or a PSMA PET scan. Together with your PSA level and Gleason grade, these help determine what treatment, if any, is needed. Not every patient requires staging scans before treatment is discussed.
Treatment options
Once all results are available, Mr Swallow will talk through the options relevant to you, taking into account your general health, life expectancy, and the specific risk profile of the cancer. Depending on these factors, options may include:
- Active surveillance — close monitoring for lower-risk cancers, with treatment only if there are signs of progression
- Surgery
- Radiotherapy
- Hormonal treatment
- Other options, such as HIFU (high-intensity focused ultrasound), where appropriate
For some patients — particularly those with a shorter life expectancy or other significant health conditions — neither immediate treatment nor active monitoring may be necessary, with treatment only introduced if symptoms develop later. This is always a personal decision, made together with you and your family if you wish.
Information on this page follows patient guidance published by the British Association of Urological Surgeons (BAUS).