Prostate Cancer Assessment, Diagnosis and Treatment
Expert-led private prostate cancer care from risk assessment to recovery
If you are worried about prostate cancer, have a raised PSA, or have already been diagnosed and want to understand your options, world-leading experts at healthXY offer a specialist private pathway for rapid assessment and personalised treatment planning.
Table of Contents
When to seek a prostate cancer assessment
Prostate cancer often causes no symptoms in its early stages, which is why understanding your risk is important. Men may seek review because of a raised PSA, family history, genetic history, ethnic background, urinary symptoms, or concern following previous tests.
A consultation may be helpful if:
- Your PSA is elevated or rising over time.
- You have had a next generation prostate cancer test e.g polygenic risk score (PRS) or biomarker test e.g. 4K or Stockholm3 which is abnormal
- You are a carrier of a BRCA gene mutation or have a family member with this gene mutation or have a family history of prostate, breast or ovarian cancer.
- You are from a Black Carribean or Black African ethnic group and want to discuss your risk.
- You have ongoing urinary symptoms and want specialist review.
- You want a second opinion on an existing diagnosis or treatment plan.
What to expect
For most men, an assessment includes:
- Specialist consultation – review of symptoms, PSA, examination and family history.
- Multiparametric MRI – high-quality imaging to identify or monitor suspicious areas and help determine whether biopsy is needed or help tailor a treatment plan.
- Next generation genetic assessment – in some instances, genetic testing for BRCA genes may be appropriate, or a polygenic risk score (PRS) test, or a biomarker test e.g. Stockholm3, or 4K.
- Targeted prostate biopsy – used when the MRI is abnormal and shows a shadow or overall risk profile suggests clinically significant cancer may be present.
- Gallium68 Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan – This is a specialist nuclear medicine scan, where a mildly radioactive dye is injected into the veins, and helps track down and light up cancer cells which are detected on a computed tomography (CT) scan. This scan is helpful in some instances where the prostate MRI is not clear, or to check for cancer spread beyond the prostate.
- Treatment planning – discussion of active surveillance, focal therapy, robotic prostatectomy, radiotherapy or systemic treatment depending on the extent of the disease.
MRI Assessment
Multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) is now central to prostate cancer assessment and is one of the most important tests in the diagnostic pathway. It can help identify suspicious lesions, reduce unnecessary biopsies in some men and improve biopsy accuracy when targeted samples are needed. MRI also plays a critical role in treatment selection around active surveillance, focal therapy and nerve-sparing robotic prostatectomy, making it an essential bridge between diagnosis and management.
Read more about private MRI prostate assessment in London
Active Surveillance
Not every prostate cancer needs immediate treatment. For selected men with early localised disease, active surveillance offers structured monitoring with PSA tests, MRI scans and, in some cases, repeat biopsy, allowing treatment to be delayed or avoided while maintaining safety. This is not a passive approach. Active Surveillance is an active strategy designed to preserve quality of life without compromising cancer outcomes.
Focal Therapy
Focal therapy aims to treat only the cancerous area of the prostate while preserving as much normal tissue within and around the gland as possible. Techniques include high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), cryotherapy and irreversible electroporation (IRE or “nanoknife”), and these treatments depend heavily on high quality MRI and biopsy mapping. For some carefully selected men, focal therapy can offer a balance between cancer control and preservation of urinary and sexual function. It is not suitable for everyone, so proper expert patient selection are essential.
Learn more about focal therapy for prostate cancer.
Robotic Prostatectomy
For men who need or prefer surgical removal of the prostate, robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy is a keyhole operation that removes the prostate gland using a robot controlled entirely by the surgeon. It is now considered a gold standard treatment rather than open surgery with highly effective cancer control rates, smaller incisions, less blood loss and faster recovery. When choosing a surgeon, patients should consider surgeon volume and experience, nerve-sparing expertise and access to frozen section analysis, hospital setting and wider team, and access to rehabilitation. This is especially relevant because continence and erectile function outcomes are closely linked to case selection, technique and experience.
Read the guide to robotic prostatectomy in London private practice.
Radiotherapy
Depending on the stage, grade and location of the tumour, treatment may also involve external beam radiotherapy, with or without hormone therapy or systemic therapies if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Radiotherapy is typically delivered every day for 5 days a week up to 4 weeks. The procedure itself lasts a few minutes. It is non-invasive, and does not need an anaesthetic, so is safer than surgery for many men with other medical issues or older men. There are newer types of radiotherapy that can be given over a 1 week period rather than 4 weeks.
Other oncological treatment options
if the cancer has spread to other parts of the body, then active surveillance, focal therapy, surgery or radiotherapy are not options. Although this situation may seem alarming, prostate cancer is a less aggressive tumour, so patients may live for years with this condition. Prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, is typically managed with hormone treatment that is not curative but can control the cancer effectively. It works by suppressing testosterone levels and blocking tumour growth. Other treatments given alongside hormone therapy include chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Get in Touch
Get in touch with us today! Our dedicated team is here to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have. We encourage you to reach out to us via email, phone, or by filling out our convenient online form. Your inquiries are important to us, and we look forward to providing you with the support you need.
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