Step 2: First Visit

Step 2: Your First Visit

Your first visit to the Weiser Center for Prostate Cancer is an important step — and we want you to feel prepared, welcomed, and supported from the moment you walk through the door. We understand that coming in with a new diagnosis brings a lot of emotions and questions, and we’re here to help you navigate all of it.

Your partner, family members, and caregivers are encouraged to join you. This journey belongs to all of you, and their presence matters to us too.

Meeting Your Care Team

At your first visit, you’ll be introduced to a team of expert doctors who will work together to coordinate every aspect of your care. Beyond your physicians, your team includes sex therapists, social workers, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, registered nurses, nutritionists, physical rehabilitation specialists, and dedicated support staff — all working together with one focus: you.

What We’ll Do at Your First Visit

Your initial consultation has three main goals:

1. Getting to Know You and Your Diagnosis

We’ll take a thorough look at everything that led to your diagnosis — including notes from previous consultations, your biopsy results, imaging findings, and your PSA levels. We’ll also review your broader medical and surgical history to understand your overall health.

As part of this process, you’ll be asked to complete some standardized questionnaires about your urinary, bowel, and sexual function. These help us understand your current quality of life and make sure any treatment plan we develop is truly tailored to you — not just to your cancer.

2. Ordering Any Additional Testing

Based on your initial review, we may recommend further testing to make sure we have the clearest possible picture:

• Confirmatory testing — For lower-risk prostate cancer, a repeat biopsy, MRI, or additional PSA testing may be recommended to monitor the cancer’s stability over time.
• Staging testing — For higher-risk prostate cancer, staging tests help us understand how far the cancer has spread, both within and beyond the prostate. This may include a multiparametric MRI or a PSMA PET scan, which uses a specialized tracer to detect prostate cancer cells throughout the body.
• Genomic testing — In some cases, genomic classifiers may be ordered to better understand the genetic makeup of your cancer, which can provide important insights into how it may behave and respond to treatment.

3. Building a plan together 

After your consultation and any additional testing, we’ll develop a personalized management strategy with you — not just for you. This plan will take into account your cancer’s risk level, your personal preferences, and any potential impact on your quality of life.

You’ll never feel like decisions are being made without you. We believe in open, jargon-free communication, and we’ll make sure you feel fully informed and confident about every next step before you take it.