During the course of yourprostate cancer diagnosis,treatment, and follow-up care, you will likely be working with a number of different types of physicians. Getting a basic idea of what each of these physicians does and what type of training they have undergone can help you better understand how their efforts work in concert to help you address your disease.
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General Practitioner
The first physician most men see for the majority of their medical problems or routine screening is their general practitioner. There are two types of general practitioners: internists and family doctors. Both are qualified to perform thedigital rectal examinationand make the first interpretation of yourPSA test,as well as oversee your other general medical issues.
What Is a Prostate Exam?
Internist
Internists are trained to treat adult patients only.They do not see children or deliver babies.
They have to undergo three years of training in internal medicine after medical school, much of which is spent working with patients in the hospital. They typically split their time between seeing patients in their office and seeing patients in the hospital.
Family Doctor
This type of physician is trained to treat patients from infants to adults and may also do some obstetrics.
Family doctors complete three years of training in family medicine after medical school before they practice independently. They typically do less work in hospitals and more work in clinic or office settings than internists.
Specialist Physicians and Surgeons
After a screening, a general practitioner may refer you to one of the following specialists, who each play different roles in prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Urologist
Urologists are physicians who are trained specifically to deal with conditions of the male reproductive organs and of both the male and female urinary tracts.They are considered to be sub-specialized surgeons who must also have knowledge of internal medicine, gynecology, and other fields in order to treat the variety of urological conditions they see.
Urologists are required to complete a 5-6 year training period following medical school. Some may even do an advanced fellowship in robotic or urologic cancer surgery for another 1-2 years.
An Overview of Prostate Surgery
Radiation Oncologist
Radiationoncologistsare physicians trained to treat cancer and other conditions with radiation.They evaluate cancer patients and plan exactly how radiation treatments will be administered.
They must undergo a five-year training period after medical school, which includes one year of general medicine and four years of radiation oncology.
If you are considering radiation therapy as an option for treating your prostate cancer, then you should plan to visit a radiation oncologist for their input about your specific set of circumstances.
Does Radiation Therapy Work?
Radiologist
Radiologists are physicians who use medical imaging technologies such asX-rays,computed tomography (CT) scans, andmagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scansto diagnose medical conditions.Additionally, some radiologists (called interventional radiologists) are trained to use imaging technologies to treat certain conditions.
Radiologists must complete five years of training after medical school, including one year of general medicine and four years of radiology.
Pathologist
Pathologists must complete four to five years of training following medical school.
Medical Oncologist
Medical oncologists are trained in the proper use ofchemotherapyand other therapies to treat cancer.Because prostate cancer is not usually treated with chemotherapy, you are unlikely to see this type of physician, though it is possible.
Medical oncologists have completed three years of internal medicine training as well as three to four more years of sub-specialty training in medical oncology.
A Word From Verywell
While some of the doctors involved in your prostate cancer journey may work together directly, others may not. Nevertheless, for the best care, it’s important that information on your case is shared amongst them. Shared medical records help this, of course, but you may also be assigned a case manager whose job (among other things) is to coordinate communication amongst practitioners. You may also encounter nurses and a variety of other healthcare professionals as you are treated.
15 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA).The Cleveland Clinic.What’s the Difference Between an Internist and Family Physician?American College of Physicians.General Internal Medicine.American Academy of Family Physicians.Training Requirements for Family Physicians.The Cleveland Clinic.Urologist.American College of Surgeons.Urology.Dartmouth Cancer Center.Radiation oncology frequently asked questions.American Medical Association.Radiation Oncology.U.S. Library of Medicine.Imaging and radiology.National Cancer Institute.Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.Association of American Medical Colleges.Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.Black-Schaffer WS, Morrow JS, Prystowsky MB, Steinberg JJ.Training pathology residents to practice 21st century medicine: a proposal.Academic Pathology. 2016;3:237428951666539. doi: 10.1177/2374289516665393National Cancer Institute.Medical Oncologist.American Cancer Society.Chemotherapy for prostate cancer.American Board of Internal Medicine.Medical Oncolgoy Policies.
15 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA).The Cleveland Clinic.What’s the Difference Between an Internist and Family Physician?American College of Physicians.General Internal Medicine.American Academy of Family Physicians.Training Requirements for Family Physicians.The Cleveland Clinic.Urologist.American College of Surgeons.Urology.Dartmouth Cancer Center.Radiation oncology frequently asked questions.American Medical Association.Radiation Oncology.U.S. Library of Medicine.Imaging and radiology.National Cancer Institute.Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.Association of American Medical Colleges.Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.Black-Schaffer WS, Morrow JS, Prystowsky MB, Steinberg JJ.Training pathology residents to practice 21st century medicine: a proposal.Academic Pathology. 2016;3:237428951666539. doi: 10.1177/2374289516665393National Cancer Institute.Medical Oncologist.American Cancer Society.Chemotherapy for prostate cancer.American Board of Internal Medicine.Medical Oncolgoy Policies.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Cancer Institute.Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA).The Cleveland Clinic.What’s the Difference Between an Internist and Family Physician?American College of Physicians.General Internal Medicine.American Academy of Family Physicians.Training Requirements for Family Physicians.The Cleveland Clinic.Urologist.American College of Surgeons.Urology.Dartmouth Cancer Center.Radiation oncology frequently asked questions.American Medical Association.Radiation Oncology.U.S. Library of Medicine.Imaging and radiology.National Cancer Institute.Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.Association of American Medical Colleges.Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.Black-Schaffer WS, Morrow JS, Prystowsky MB, Steinberg JJ.Training pathology residents to practice 21st century medicine: a proposal.Academic Pathology. 2016;3:237428951666539. doi: 10.1177/2374289516665393National Cancer Institute.Medical Oncologist.American Cancer Society.Chemotherapy for prostate cancer.American Board of Internal Medicine.Medical Oncolgoy Policies.
National Cancer Institute.Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA).
The Cleveland Clinic.What’s the Difference Between an Internist and Family Physician?
American College of Physicians.General Internal Medicine.
American Academy of Family Physicians.Training Requirements for Family Physicians.
The Cleveland Clinic.Urologist.
American College of Surgeons.Urology.
Dartmouth Cancer Center.Radiation oncology frequently asked questions.
American Medical Association.Radiation Oncology.
U.S. Library of Medicine.Imaging and radiology.
National Cancer Institute.Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy.
Association of American Medical Colleges.Anatomic and Clinical Pathology.
Black-Schaffer WS, Morrow JS, Prystowsky MB, Steinberg JJ.Training pathology residents to practice 21st century medicine: a proposal.Academic Pathology. 2016;3:237428951666539. doi: 10.1177/2374289516665393
National Cancer Institute.Medical Oncologist.
American Cancer Society.Chemotherapy for prostate cancer.
American Board of Internal Medicine.Medical Oncolgoy Policies.
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