Prostate cancer

If you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, or if your physician suspects you may have this type of cancer (due to high PSA levels in your blood, for instance), you may wonder what exactly is wrong, and what your treatment options are. The Netherlands Cancer Institute offers rapid diagnostics for an increasing number of tumor types such as prostate cancer. If possible, all diagnostic tests required to diagnose you will take place on the same day.

Multidisciplinary team meeting

Your results will be discussed during a multidisciplinary team meeting involving all specialists (from our Urology, Radiology, Pathology, Radiation Oncology, and Medical Oncology departments) involved in diagnosing and treating prostate cancer. You will receive your results, as well as a preliminary treatment plan, directly after.

What to expect

Once your registration by your general practitioner or practicing physician is complete, you will be contacted by the Netherlands Cancer Institute’s clinical planning department. They will let you know whether rapid diagnostics is an option for you, and can tell you more about the process. Rapid diagnostics is a demanding process and can be exhausting. You will undergo various diagnostics tests and have scheduled consultations with many physicians during the day.

We expect any patient undergoing our rapid diagnostics to be physically able to handle such a day. We also recommend bringing a loved one for support.

Preparations and tests

Some of the diagnostic tests you can expect during your rapid diagnostics for (suspected) prostate cancer are: a blood test, prostate ultrasound, and sometimes a prostate MRI scan. Most people will get their MRI scan MRI-scan wordt vaak een week voor de sneldiagnosedag gedaan. You may receive your results during a consultation on a different day.