Hello there and thanks for posting

I am sorry to hear about your dad undergoing some tests at the moment and appreciate this must be a worry for the whole family.

When someone is undergoing tests to check out the prostate the rectal examination is carried out to check how the prostate may feel. The doctor can feel if it is enlarged and whether it is smooth or not. If it feels abnormal in any way the doctor will usually carry out a blood test to check the psa (prostate specific antigen) to see if this is also raised. Depending on the results of this the doctor may request an MRI scan plus/minus a biopsy depending on the scan results.

At this point in time no one will be able to say for sure what is going on. A prostate can be enlarged, and the psa level raised for several different reasons and it won't always be the result of prostate cancer.

For now it is about sitting tight and waiting for the blood test result and the plan of what may need to happen next from the doctor.

Blood test results usually come back fairly quickly so hopefully your dad will hear something about this over the next few days. In regards to further tests that may be needed the speed in which they are carried out will depend on the urgency, but in the case of a suspected cancer they should be carried out within a few weeks. 

It is worth knowing that most people referred onto a cancer pathway won't go on to be diagnosed with cancer but it is the quickest way people can get answers within the NHS.

Hopefully your dad will know more soon.

Best wishes

Naomi

Hello Naomi, and thanks for your response.

It's reassuring to understand more about how this works, especially that a cancer pathway referral doesn't necessarily mean cancer.

Thank you again for your help and quick reply.