Post biopsy consultancy - worried

The correct practice is to have a follow up meeting even if all is clear. The person arranging the appointment may or may not know your results, and perhaps more importantly may not understand what those results mean. 

In reality if you're a man over 60 you're more likely to have cancer than not have it. Though it is also usually low grade and not worth treating. For this reason the results are rarely a straight yes or no. You need a meeting to be informed of exactly what your situation is.

I think this is pretty much standard as Dave said.

HI,  I was called by an appointment clerk by phone and asked to go in for a meeting in 1 hour.  When I arrived I was told the nurse would see me.  I thought that was good as a nurse wouldn't be qualified to tell me a lot.  I was wrong because the specialist nurses do a lot and she was a Macmillan Specialist Nurse.

I knew I was going in poker faced, with a likelihood of a bad result and so it was.   I was pleased to take it well and my biggest thought was to ask what was next.

It was an MRI and a bone scan, as in those days they were done later.  The Macmillan Nurse became my point of contact who I could ring anytime.  Although she only rang back after 5pm.

Yours sounds like it has a good chance of being benign or low risk.   I don't think the doctor would say that if he thought there was a good chance of it being otherwise.   I had a skin biopsy last year and the doctor said he thought it had a good chance of being clear and it was.   

My thought would be to go in ready for bad news even if you think it won't be.  It was Kipling who wrote, if you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat them both the same.  It sounds good at the moment.

Good luck Peter

The result often isn't known when the appointment is booked. It's done on the basis of knowing when the result is likely to be back from histology from the queue length of samples waiting to be analysed and turnaround time, and which MDT meeting will follow that where the results are discussed.

In some hospitals, results are given by CNS's as their consultants are not always good at breaking such news.

Edited by member 30 Jul 2023 at 10:00  | Reason: Not specified

That's a reasonable result, now you have to prepare for all the friends and family telling you to get it cut out. Well it's your prostate not theirs.

Congratulations, Mike FZ,

That's a good result.  May I suggest that you keep a close eye on them to ensure that they keep a close eye on you and that you don't get 'lost' in the system?

Best wishes,

JedSee.