- High-risk prostate cancer is cancer that is in stage A or B combined with a Gleason grade of seven and a PSA (prostate specific antigen) measurement of greater than 10. Also, any stage C or D cancers are considered high risk.
- The high risk classification indicates that a patient's cancer has a greater likelihood of spreading out of the prostate gland and becoming fatal.
- According to the National Institutes of Health, the most common treatments for localized high-risk prostate cancer are a radical prostatectomy (surgical removal of the prostate gland) and radiation therapy.
- Some patients undergo hormone therapy before receiving radiation or surgery to slow the cancer's growth. Others choose to do nothing to treat their prostate tumors, opting instead to wait and see if they progress or to treat the symptoms while allowing the disease to progress.
- Choosing the best treatment for high-risk cancers is difficult, and the National Institutes of Health indicates that factors such as age, overall health and life expectancy must be considered by a patient and his doctors before making the choice.
