How often should a man with advanced prostate cancer have imaging studies and what studies should be included?

Depends: Typical followup for a man with advanced prostate cancer will include imaging of the abdominal and pelvic structures (usually a ct scan or mri) and imaging of the bones (nuclear medicine bone scan). These help urologist/oncologist detect any spread of disease. Most often these tests are performed initial diagnosis and then discretion of provider (typically every 6-12 months or with rise in psa).

It depends: The timing, frequency, and type of imaging in a man with adavanced prostate cancer depend on a number of factors. These factors include the stage and grade of the cancer as well as whether or not the man is on hormonal therapy. If he is on hormonal therapy, bone density scanning should be done annually. In addition bone scans and ct scans should be considered if the psa begins to rise.