Just been diagnosed with prostate cancer? Take a breath. You have time to learn, ask questions and choose.

Hearing the word cancer is hard, for you and for the people who love you. Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, and many prostate cancers grow slowly. There are many ways to manage it, from careful monitoring to surgery, radiation and hormone therapy, and your team will help you choose what fits you. Here you'll find clear, friendly guides for you and your family, one step at a time.

Updated September 30, 2026

In an emergency, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number.

Start here

Your first 30 days: a checklist

Save the phone number of a nurse, clinic or doctor you can call with questions, and your cancer centre's 24-hour line.
Ask for copies of your PSA results, biopsy report and scan reports, and keep them in one folder.
Ask your team what your Grade Group and risk group are, and what they mean for you.
Bring someone with you to appointments to listen and take notes.
Ask about all your treatment options, including active surveillance if it fits your situation. It's okay to ask for a second opinion.
Ask how each option could affect your bladder, bowels and sex life, so you can plan ahead.
Stay active, eat well and keep up with your other health care. It helps you get ready for any treatment.
Tell your team if you feel low, worried or can't sleep for more than two weeks.

Your first weeks after a cancer diagnosis: A calm, step-by-step guide to the first weeks after being told you have cancer: getting organized, understanding your diagnosis, planning treatment and finding support. (6 min read)

Understand it

Prostate Cancer, Explained: a longer guide for you and your family (video coming soon)
Cancer Screening, Explained: finding problems before they start (video, 4:39)

Understanding prostate cancer: What prostate cancer is, what your PSA, Gleason score and Grade Group mean, how risk groups and stages work, and the tests you may have. (5 min read)

Your treatment

Cancer Surgery, Explained: removing the cancer, and getting ready (video coming soon)
Radiation Therapy, Explained: focused energy aimed at cancer cells (video coming soon)
Hormone Therapy, Explained: cutting off a cancer's fuel (video coming soon)
Androgen Deprivation Therapy: hormone therapy for prostate cancer (video coming soon)
Chemotherapy, Explained: medicines that travel through your body (video coming soon)

Treatment options for prostate cancer: A plain-language guide to active surveillance, surgery, radiation, hormone therapy and treatments for advanced prostate cancer, and how your team helps you choose. (6 min read)
Clinical trials explained: What cancer clinical trials are, how the phases work, what randomization and placebos mean, how you are protected, and how to find a trial that might suit you. (6 min read)

Living well

What Exercise Does for Your Body: and how much you really need (video, 4:38)

Living with prostate cancer: bladder, sex, hormones and feelings: What helps with leaking urine, erection changes, hormone therapy side effects and bowel changes after prostate cancer treatment, plus tips for partners and coping with PSA tests. (6 min read)
Managing side effects of cancer treatment: Practical, friendly tips for common side effects of cancer treatment: tiredness, nausea, mouth sores, hair loss, numbness and tingling, skin changes, low blood counts and "chemo brain." Report them, don't just endure them. (7 min read)
Eating well during cancer treatment: Practical tips for eating well during cancer treatment: getting enough protein and energy, coping with poor appetite, nausea and taste changes, food safety, and what to know about supplements. (6 min read)
Your feelings matter: emotional health and support with cancer: Fear, sadness, anger and worry are common after a cancer diagnosis. Practical ways to cope, when to ask for help, crisis support (9-8-8), talking with family, and support for caregivers. (6 min read)
Work, money and practical matters: Practical help after a cancer diagnosis: telling your employer, time off and benefits, fertility preservation before treatment, getting to appointments, and keeping paperwork in order. (6 min read)

When to get help

Call 9-1-1 now

Trouble breathing, or chest pain or pressure
New weakness, numbness or tingling in your legs, trouble walking, or losing control of your bladder or bowels, especially with back pain. This can mean cancer is pressing on the spinal cord and needs care right away
Fainting, sudden confusion, or being very hard to wake up
Heavy bleeding that won't stop, from anywhere
Signs of a stroke: face drooping, arm weakness, or speech problems
Fever with feeling very unwell, confusion, fainting or trouble breathing while on chemotherapy
Someone collapses, doesn't respond, or isn't breathing normally: call 9-1-1 and start CPR

Call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. Don't drive yourself.

Call your cancer centre now

A temperature of 38 °C (100.4 °F) or higher, or shaking chills, during chemotherapy: call your cancer centre's 24-hour line right away. If you can't reach them, go to the nearest emergency department
You can't pee at all, or your urinary catheter stops draining or falls out
Fever, chills, or burning or pain when you pee in the days after a biopsy or surgery
Blood clots in your pee, or pee that stays bright red
New or worsening pain in your bones or back
Bleeding from your bottom, or diarrhea or bowel changes that don't settle, during or after radiation
One leg that is swollen, red, warm or painful
Hot flashes, tiredness or mood changes on hormone therapy that are hard to live with
Low mood or worry that lasts more than two weeks

Use the 24-hour line. Don't wait for your next appointment. If you can't reach anyone and you're worried, go to emergency.

If you have any of the emergency signs, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number right away. Don't drive yourself to the hospital. For the other signs, call your cancer team or your centre's 24-hour line. Keep that number in your phone and by the door. If you're not sure how serious something is, it's always okay to call.

Fever and when to get help during cancer treatment: Clear lists to help you decide: a fever of 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) during chemotherapy is an emergency. Plus when to call 9-1-1, when to call your cancer centre's 24-hour line, and immunotherapy side effects to report. (6 min read)

Questions to ask your team

A printable list of questions to bring to your next appointment.

Go deeper

Written for clinicians and students. More technical material from Hibbert Medical, for readers who want more detail.

Podcast summaries

Urology podcasts: Urologists on prostate cancer, bladder health and more, each with a written summary.
Cancer podcasts, summarized: Cancer podcasts with written summaries.
Men's health podcasts: Clinicians on men's health, hormones and sexual health.

Lectures

Active Surveillance for Localized Prostate Cancer: Watching slow-growing prostate cancer safely.
Radical Prostatectomy: Open, Laparoscopic, and Robotic Approaches: How prostate surgery is done.
Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer: External beam radiation and brachytherapy.
Advanced and Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Hormone therapy and newer treatments for cancer that has spread.
Prostate Needle Biopsy and Gleason Grading: What the Gleason score and Grade Group mean.
Prostate MRI and PI-RADS: How MRI scans guide biopsy and treatment.
PSMA PET/CT in Prostate Cancer: A newer scan for finding prostate cancer spread.

Seminars

Advanced Prostate Cancer Imaging: Lutetium-177 PSMA: Seminar series: imaging and targeted radioligand therapy.

Clinical cases

Prostate Cancer: From PSA test to diagnosis.
Prostate Cancer Screening Discussion: Talking through the pros and cons of PSA testing.
Prostate Cancer with Spinal Metastases: Why back pain matters in advanced prostate cancer.

Oncology regimen tutorials

ADT, ARPIs and docetaxel: Androgen deprivation plus intensification in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.

Common questions

What is prostate cancer?

The prostate is a small gland below the bladder that helps make semen. Prostate cancer starts when cells in the prostate grow out of control. Many prostate cancers grow slowly and stay in the prostate for a long time. Some grow faster and can spread. Tests like PSA, MRI and a biopsy help your team understand which kind you have.

What do my Gleason score and Grade Group mean?

They describe how the cancer cells look under a microscope compared with normal cells. The Grade Group goes from 1 to 5. Grade Group 1 (Gleason 6) is likely to grow very slowly. Higher numbers mean the cancer is more likely to grow and spread. Your team combines this with your PSA and scans to decide your risk group and treatment options.

Do I need treatment right away?

Not always. For many low-risk cancers, and some favourable intermediate-risk cancers, active surveillance is a safe choice. That means regular PSA tests, exams, MRIs and sometimes repeat biopsies, with treatment only if the cancer changes. It lets many people avoid or delay side effects. Your team will talk with you about whether it fits your situation.

Will treatment affect my bladder or sex life?

It can. Surgery and radiation can cause leaking urine or erection problems, and hormone therapy can lower sex drive. Many of these problems get better over time, and there are good treatments, like pelvic floor exercises, medicines and devices. Ask your team what to expect from each option before you decide, and speak up about any changes.

Is it normal to feel anxious or low after a prostate cancer diagnosis?

Yes. Worry, sadness and fear are very common, and waiting for PSA results can be stressful. These feelings are real, and help is available through your cancer centre, counsellors and support groups. Talk with your team if low mood or worry lasts more than two weeks. If you are thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 in Canada or the U.S., or call 9-1-1.

Sources for this page

Back to Cancer: types of treatment, side effects and support for any cancer

General information, not medical advice. It does not replace your own care team. If you think you or someone else is having a medical emergency, call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number. If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 (Canada and the US).

All After a Diagnosis guides