Alpha prototype
Early alpha, open to try. No sign-in: everything you see is a fictional sample. A few invited testers are giving feedback.
Your PSA, your papers and your next steps, on one line
For men from the day of a prostate cancer diagnosis onwards, and the people beside them. Understand your own numbers well enough to ask good questions and get a second opinion with confidence.
Try it now
No sign-in. You see the Matrix with a fictional sample man and his made-up PSA results, papers and questions. Nothing you type leaves this browser.
First you’ll see the DRAFT alpha terms once. You can change the stage and the role inside.
- Every PSA result on one line, with how fast it is changing, explained honestly.
- What doctors usually look at at your stage, with the guideline it comes from.
- Questions built from your own numbers, for your next visit, and a view for your partner.
What the Matrix will never do: tell you which treatment to choose, or work out your personal risk. Those are for you and your care team. It helps you understand and ask.
Use my own records Coming later
Check your email
We sent a sign-in link to . It works for 15 minutes.
Prototype: this is a picture of the email, shown here instead of sending one.
Hello,
Press the button to sign in to the Prostate Matrix. If you didn’t ask for this, you can ignore this email.
Or type this code on the sign-in page: 482 913
Tell us a little, so the Matrix fits you
Three short questions. You can change these at any time. In this prototype, a fictional sample history is loaded to match your answer to question 2.
My PSA over time
See the results as a table
How fast is it changing?
Add a result
What doctors usually look at, at this stage
General information from guidelines, for everyone at this stage. It does not say what your results mean. That is a question for your care team.
Things that can change a PSA reading
- Ejaculation, cycling or hard exercise in the 2–3 days before the test.
- A recent biopsy, infection or catheter.
- Some medicines, especially finasteride and dutasteride for an enlarged prostate, which roughly halve PSA after several months of use.
- A different lab or test method. Results can differ between labs, so it helps to use the same one.
- A larger prostate makes more PSA. That is one reason doctors use PSA density.
- Very low values near a lab’s lower limit (such as “<0.03”) move around on their own.
Sources
NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Early-Stage Prostate Cancer (latest patient edition online, 2022), p. 26, checked against NCCN Prostate Cancer v5.2026; American Cancer Society, Following PSA levels during and after treatment (revised Sept 2026).
Questions from your PSA line
Written from the numbers above. Add the ones you want to your visit list.
Before you start
Before you try the sample
This is an early alpha of a prototype, with made-up data. Please read the short version, then tick the boxes.
The short version
- It’s a prototype. Everyone and every number in it is made up. Please don’t type in your own real health details.
- It explains and organises. It doesn’t give medical advice, work out anyone’s risk, or say which treatment to choose.
- Nothing you type leaves this browser. Files are made only when you press a download button, and you decide where they go.
- The man with the diagnosis is the owner. He decides who else can see or help, and can end it at any time.
- You can stop at any time. “Start again” or signing out clears everything in this tab, except your “Was this useful?” answers, which stay in this browser until you press “Clear my answers”.
DRAFT · work in progress · version 0.1-draft-1
Alpha terms and privacy notice
Alpha terms: the short version
The Prostate Matrix (name to be chosen) is a prototype from Taksheyu. It helps a man with prostate cancer, and the people he chooses, keep his PSA results, numbers and visit questions in one place. In this alpha it uses fictional sample data only.
- Who we are. Taksheyu, Anup Raina’s venture studio. No company has been formed yet. To reach us, use the contact form at taksheyu.com.
- What it does and doesn’t do. It explains and organises. It does not give medical advice, diagnose, work out anyone’s risk, or say which treatment to choose. Always talk with the care team.
- The alpha. Open for anyone to try with fictional data, from November 2026. About five invited testers are giving feedback. Features may change or stop at any time.
- Who can use it. Anyone aged 18 or older can try the fictional sample.
- Your account and roles. The man with the diagnosis is the owner. He can invite a caregiver (with the rights he chooses) and view-only family, and end their access at any time. Everyone uses their own sign-in; never share a password. Each feature he grants can last always, for one visit, or until a date, and every change is logged. A caregiver can ask for emergency access; he is told and has a waiting period he sets (7 days to start) to decline. The Matrix doesn’t check legal papers such as a health care power of attorney.
- Fair use. Don’t try to break it, and don’t enter real health details.
- Privacy. See the privacy notice below.
- Feedback. What you tell us helps us improve it. We may use it without naming you.
- Deleting. “Start again” or signing out clears everything in this tab, except your “Was this useful?” answers. Those stay in this browser until you press “Clear my answers” (here, or on the Feedback screen). In a real version, the owner could delete the account and data at any time.
- No warranty. The prototype is provided as it is, for testing.
- Limits. The alpha is a free prototype with made-up data, for testing only. A lawyer will write this section before any real records are used.
- Disputes. Not written yet. A lawyer will write this section before any real records are used.
- Changes. If these terms change, we’ll show you this step again.
- Contact. Use the contact form at taksheyu.com.
Privacy notice: the short version
| Question | In this alpha prototype |
|---|---|
| What do you collect? | Nothing leaves your browser. Feedback answers are kept in this browser only. |
| Who sees what? | Only the people the owner invites, with the rights he sets. Each share, consent and change is time-stamped in the access log. |
| What about the doctor? | Only what the owner (or a caregiver he allows) chooses to download or share. The read-only link is mocked in the prototype. |
| Sensitive parts | Check-ins about sex, bladder and distress are not shared with a caregiver unless the owner turns that on. |
| Do you sell data? | No. Nothing is collected, so there is nothing to sell. |
| Which laws apply? | Not decided yet. Before real records are used, a lawyer will check which laws apply, such as HIPAA (the Matrix is not a care provider or health plan), the FTC Health Breach Notification Rule and state health-privacy laws. |
Share with my doctor
A clean summary for the care team: every PSA result with its date, the line, the current stage, and the questions, top one first. Nothing is sent. Files are made in this browser, and only when you press a button.
My numbers, and where they came from
The numbers your care team uses alongside PSA. Each card says what the number is, which paper it came from, and the question to ask. The Matrix doesn’t work out a risk group or say what a number means for you.
The papers they came from
Pick a sample paper to see each term explained in plain words.
Drop a report here, or
Prototype: we don’t open your own files. Use a sample paper below.
My path from diagnosis day
Get ready for your next visit
Questions made from your numbers and your answers. Tick the ones you want, change the words, add your own, then print.
0 questions (two or three is often all a visit has time for, so put your top one first)
My plan for this visit
A plan made ahead makes it easier to follow through. Tick what you’ll do.
Peer B (fictional): “My partner held the list and ticked each one off. We left knowing what came next.”
Why these: question lists help people ask more of what they want to know (systematic reviews of question prompt lists in cancer care), and a plan made ahead (“when X, I will Y”) makes follow-through more likely. The Matrix nudges you to ask and to keep up with your tests, never toward a treatment.
Add your own question
The Matrix writes questions only. It never writes the answers. Tap ☆ to make a question your top one: it prints first.
Getting a second opinion: step by step
Second opinions are common, and doctors expect them. Asking for one doesn’t mean you distrust your doctor.
0 of 0 done
Why a second look at the slides?
Every number on the pathology report comes from one person reading the slides. In studies where specialist prostate pathologists re-read biopsies, the grade changed for a meaningful share of men, sometimes enough to change the options discussed. Many experts suggest a second look, especially for Grade Group 1–2.
Evidence
One single-centre study of 212 biopsies (Al-Maghrabi et al., Annals of Saudi Medicine 2013;33:40–44) used older grade categories; rates elsewhere differ. Slide review is also advised by Johns Hopkins urologists and in Janet Farrar Worthington’s PCF guidance (2023, updated 2025).
Questions for this step
Family and access
People like me
Volunteers who have been where you are and agreed to talk. They share their own experience. They are not medical professionals and won’t advise on treatment. Their path may not be right for anyone else.
One line, any long-term condition
For demonstrations: the Matrix is built around one number that a condition is followed by, and the path that number sits on. Prostate cancer and PSA come first. The same screens work for diabetes and A1c, or kidney disease and eGFR. Below are fictional examples, drawn with the same code as your PSA line.
The five parts that change from one condition to the next
| Part | Prostate cancer | Type 2 diabetes | Chronic kidney disease |
|---|---|---|---|
| The line | PSA, ng/mL | A1c, % | eGFR, mL/min/1.73m² |
| How it moves | Velocity, doubling time | Change between tests | Slope per year, % fall from baseline |
| The other numbers | Grade Group, cores, PI-RADS, volume, stage | Glucose readings, blood pressure, cholesterol, kidney tests, eye checks | Urine albumin (ACR), blood pressure, potassium |
| The stages | Diagnosis, surveillance, after surgery, after radiation | Diagnosis, starting or changing medicines, steady | KDIGO G1–G5 and A1–A3 |
| The guideline | NCCN, AUA/ASTRO, EAU | ADA Standards of Care | KDIGO 2024 |
Life after, and this week
What men and partners say they live with: bladder, erections and sex, bowels, hormone therapy, and worry. General figures, with sources. What applies to you is for your team.
When to call your team now, not at the next visit
- You can’t pass urine, or a catheter stops draining.
- Fever or chills after a biopsy or surgery. Fever after a biopsy can be serious. If you can’t reach your team within an hour or so, go to urgent care or an emergency department.
- Heavy bleeding, or large clots in urine or stool.
- New bone pain, or new weakness or numbness in the legs.
- Pain, swelling or redness in one leg, or sudden shortness of breath.
These are standard after-treatment warning signs. Your team’s own discharge sheet comes first. If you can’t reach them, call your emergency number.
Erections, sex and intimacy
- After surgery: in the PCF guide, 30–60% of men with good erections before surgery have them again at two years. Nerve-sparing helps; results vary by surgeon.
- After radiation: 60–85% keep erections, though they can fade over the years after.
- Hormone therapy usually lowers desire as well as erections while it lasts.
- Help exists: tablets, injections, a vacuum device, an implant. Many teams start “penile rehabilitation” early. Orgasm is possible without a firm erection, and dry orgasm after surgery is expected. Some men leak a little urine at orgasm (climacturia), and some notice the penis is a little shorter after surgery; both are worth raising, and there is help for both.
- For the couple: talking about it early, together, and asking for a sexual health clinic or counsellor is common and helps. This is true for any partner, of any sex.
Sources
PCF Patient Guide to Localized Prostate Cancer (2023), side effects; the Walsh and Worthington book gives erectile dysfunction its own chapter (4th edition contents). Paraphrased, not quoted.
Bladder and bowels
- After surgery: nearly all men leak at first. Most regain control within a year; about 1 in 5 have mild long-term leakage. Pelvic floor exercises, started before surgery, may speed recovery. A pelvic floor physiotherapist can help.
- After radiation: long-term leakage is rare, but needing to go often or urgently is common for months.
- Bowels: under 1 in 100 after surgery. After modern radiation, moderate to severe problems in 1–3 in 100, fewer with a rectal spacer.
Sources
PCF Patient Guide to Localized Prostate Cancer (2023).
Hormone therapy (ADT): the basics, and a checklist to ask about
Hormone therapy lowers testosterone, which prostate cancer cells use to grow. It is often given for a set time with radiation. Common effects: hot flashes, tiredness, less desire, mood changes, weight gain, loss of muscle, thinner bones, anaemia (low blood count), breast tenderness or growth, and changes in blood sugar and cholesterol.
Sources
NCCN Guidelines for Patients (2022), hormone therapy; AUA/ASTRO 2022; Gandaglia et al. 2016 (registry studies link ADT with diabetes, heart disease and fractures); the Walsh and Worthington book gives hormone therapy two chapters. Paraphrased.
Tracking how you are, over time
Many teams record bladder, bowel and sexual function with short questionnaires (such as EPIC-26 and SHIM) before treatment and again at about 3, 6, 12 and 18 months. Bring the scores to visits. Dr Walsh is reported to have phoned every patient every three months in the first year to track exactly this.
Sources
AUA/ASTRO 2022 (baseline function); Gandaglia et al. 2016 (registries use EPIC at baseline, 12 and 24 months); Hopkins CIM profile of Dr Walsh, Winter 2023.
For partners
Partners often carry as much worry as the man. Support groups (many welcome partners), counselling, and a group just for partners all help. Ask the team or a support group such as Us TOO or ZERO.
More
Research and clinical trials
A clinical trial is a study that tests a new treatment, test or way of giving care, in people who choose to take part. Every trial has rules about who can join, and you can leave at any time.
The phases, in plain words
- Phase 1: a small group. Is it safe, and what dose?
- Phase 2: a larger group. Does it seem to work, and what are the side effects?
- Phase 3: hundreds or thousands of people. Is it better than the usual care? Often people are put into groups by chance (“randomised”).
- Phase 4: after approval. What happens with long-term use?
In many trials everyone still gets at least the usual care. A placebo (a dummy treatment) is used only where it is safe to do so. You’ll be told before you join whether the trial uses one, though usually not which group you are in.
How to search ClinicalTrials.gov
- Go to ClinicalTrials.gov (new tab), the US government’s list of trials.
- Under “Condition or disease” type prostate cancer. Add words for your stage, such as localized, active surveillance or after prostatectomy.
- Under “Location” type your city or ZIP code, and choose how far you could travel.
- Tick “Recruiting” to see only trials taking people now.
- Print the ones that look relevant and take them to your team. They can say whether you might be eligible.
Sources
ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine), searched 6 Nov 2026: condition “localized prostate cancer”, recruiting, interventional, phases 2–3, United States sites. Descriptions are written in plain words by the Matrix; see each listing for the official title and the rules for joining. NCCN Guidelines for Patients (2022) describe what clinical trials are and how phases work.
How others decided
Every option has its own downsides. These stories show how some men weighed them. They are fictional, for the prototype, and they don’t show “the right choice”. What fits one man may not fit another.
Trusted guides
The free guides and guidelines the Matrix is built on. Each opens in a new tab.
- NCCN Guidelines for Patients: Early-Stage Prostate Cancer · the main US guideline in patient words
- Prostate Cancer Foundation patient guides · localised, and recurrent or advanced
- American Cancer Society: following PSA during and after treatment
- AUA/ASTRO guideline on localised prostate cancer · written for doctors
- AUA/ASTRO/SUO guideline on salvage therapy (2024) · written for doctors
- Ottawa Personal Decision Guide · for thinking a decision through together
- ClinicalTrials.gov · the US list of clinical trials
- NCI SEER: prostate cancer statistics
- Book: Dr. Patrick Walsh’s Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer, 5th edition (Walsh, Worthington and Schaeffer, 2023) · surgeon-led, so many readers pair it with radiation and oncology views
Support groups: Us TOO and ZERO (both run groups, some for partners). Ask your team for local ones.
Bills and insurance papers
Tests and treatment bring a lot of paperwork. The Matrix doesn’t check bills itself. For that, it hands you to Sahi, our sister tool that reads medical bills and EOBs in plain words.
Your PSA line, numbers, path and questions
Is my medical bill right? Bill, EOB or both
What’s an EOB?
An Explanation of Benefits is a summary your insurer sends after a visit or test. It shows what the provider charged, what your plan agreed to pay, and what you may owe. It is not a bill.
When to use Sahi
- A bill arrives for a test, scan or genomic test and you’re not sure it’s right.
- You have an EOB and want to know what it says.
- A claim was denied and you want to understand why.
Sahi works in its own site. In Sahi you black out your name and ID numbers before anything is checked. Nothing moves from the Matrix to Sahi: you add the papers there yourself.
Your feedback
Every screen has a “Was this useful?” box at the bottom. Your answers are kept in this browser only, so you can show them to us in person. Nothing is sent.