Wait time from multidisciplinary team please

Hi Jellyfish72,

My name is David, one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialists on the Macmillan Support Line.

We are sorry to hear of your recent prostate cancer diagnosis. This must be an extremely worrying time for you and your family. Waiting for results can also be very stressful and it is understandable that you feel anxious during this time.

It may be worth contacting the Consultant from the Hospital that gave you your initial diagnosis. You could try contacting the Consultant’s secretary and ask for a telephone consultation with the Consultant ASAP regards your ongoing care.

When you get to speak to the Consultant you can ask them directly what appears to be causing the delay.

There is no set time on scheduling of MDT meetings as they normally happen when all results are available. Ideally if someone has completed all investigations and results are available from laboratory then roughly 2 weeks from lab results.

This can vary greatly up and down the country or, depend on the workload in that particular trust area. Sometimes samples can be sent further afield if specific tests have been requested causing further delay.

In the meantime, it may be an idea to prepare some questions for your next meeting with the hospital team. Talking to your healthcare team about treatment or you diagnosis will help.

Sometimes people gain strength in talking to others who may be in a similar situation. Our Prostate Cancer Forum may be a good place to start.

Alternatively, Prostate Cancer UK and CRUK are also good sources of information and support.

If there is anything else we can help you with please feel free to get back in touch

Best wishes

David, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

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