Stages of Prostrate Cancer
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Staging
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The walnut-sized prostate gland is a male gland that manufactures fluid that makes up a portion of the semen. It is a gland that sometimes develops cancer. Once a doctor reaches a diagnosis of prostate cancer, further tests will reveal at which stage the disease is. This is vital in determining which type of treatment the patient receives. Cancer spreads throughout the body by one of three different ways: through the blood, through the lymph system or through surrounding tissues. Staging prostate cancer involves discovering how much the malady has spread within the patient. Tests such as a radionuclide bone scan, a magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI), a CT scan or a pelvic lymphadenectomy can reveal this information. A seminal vesicle biopsy, in which the doctor removes fluid from the semen-producing glands with a needle, is an important procedure that can detect cancer cells.
Gleason Scores
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The actual tumor in the prostate also undergoes a biopsy. Doctors closely scrutinize cancer cells beneath a microscope, and the cancer receives a rating called a Gleason score. This number falls between 2 and 10; the lower the number, the less likely the cancer will spread. A Gleason score of 2, 3 or 4 means that there is little difference between the cancer cells and the normal prostate cells, so the cancer is less aggressive. A rating of 5 through 7 translates into there being more of a difference between cancer and typical cells, with the cancer termed as more aggressive. A Gleason score of 8, 9 or 10 shows a very aggressive and dangerous disease.
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Stages I and II
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Stage I prostate cancer finds that the illness is only in the prostate. At this point, a doctor performing a digital rectal exam on the prostate would not have the ability to detect anything abnormal. Scans would not reveal such a cancer in Stage I. In most instances, surgeons performing other types of operations discover Stage I prostate cancer. The cancerous tumor cells in the prostate exist in less than 5 percent of the tissue. In Stage II, the cancer remains confined to the prostate but seems more aggressive than in Stage I. In Stage II, the tumor's size can increase.
Stages III and IV
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There is a capsule encompassing the prostate gland. In Stage III of prostate cancer, the tumor has managed to grow through this capsule. The cancer has potentially spread into the sperm-carrying tubes known as the seminal vesicles. The cancer exists in tissues close to the prostate. The further spread of the disease occurs in Stage IV, with the cancer capable of moving far away from the prostate. This process, known as metastasis, sends the cancerous cells to places such as the bones, liver, lungs or bladder. This represents a worst-case scenario for the patient.
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