Understanding Prostate Cancer

A calm path through prostate cancer basics, screening and diagnosis, staging, treatment choices including active surveillance, and life afterward.

11 stepsAbout 62 min total

This learning path is educational only. It is not a treatment plan. Your healthcare team can help you understand what applies to your situation.

Your progress

Read6 min
What is prostate cancer?
The basics, in plain language.
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Read5 min
Signs and symptoms
What people may notice, and when to ask a doctor.
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Read5 min
PSA test and screening
How the PSA test is used, and its trade-offs.
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Read5 min
Getting a diagnosis
How prostate cancer is confirmed.
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Read5 min
What a biopsy involves
The test that confirms the diagnosis.
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Read6 min
Understanding staging
What stage and grade mean here.
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Read7 min
Treatment overview
Options from surveillance to surgery and radiation.
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Read6 min
Hormone therapy
How hormone therapy is used in prostate cancer.
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Tool5 min
Questions to ask your team
Build your appointment question list.
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Clinical trials6 min
Prostate cancer clinical trials
How research studies fit into care.
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Read6 min
Living well afterward
Survivorship and follow-up care.
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Helpful words to know

Plain-language definitions in our glossary.

Build a personalized list of questions to bring to your next appointment.

Read the source material at the National Cancer Institute (cancer.gov).