Prostate Cancer Stages
As with any cells, prostate cancer cells have several
stages of growth. And there are several grading systems that
are used to determine the phase of cancerous cell growth. In
individuals who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it is
essential to know the stage in which the cancer is in order to
determine if the cancer is still confined to the prostate, or if it
has spread to other areas of the body.
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This, in turn, is used to determine the prognosis for
the patient as well as the best and/or most aggressive treatments
available.
The most popular system used by pathologists to grade prostate
cancer is called the Gleason system. In this particular system, the
cancerous cells are assigned a number from one to five based on how
they appear as opposed to normal prostate cells. This number is
called the Gleason grade. The less a cancerous cell looks like a
normal cell, the higher the number it is assigned.
Most often, prostate cancer is not confined to only one particular
area of the prostate. So in order to determine a patient’s overall
Gleason score, a grade is assigned to the two areas that make up
most of the cancer. Once the grades for these two areas are
determined, they are added together to give an overall Gleason score
between two and ten. |
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The closer the score is to ten, the more likely the
prostate cancer is to have rapid growth and spread quickly.
Another system that is used for grading the stage
of prostate cancer is called the TNM system. This system uses
the combination of the size of the tumor, the number of lymph
nodes affected, as well as the presence of other metastases, in
order to determine the stage of the cancer.
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In the TNM System, stages T1 and T2 are
designated for cancers that are found only in the prostate.
Stages T3 and T4 are used to signify cancers have spread
beyond the prostate and have begun to spread throughout the
body. In situations in which stage T3 or T4 cancerous cells
are found, other tests will be used to determine the extent
of the spread and locations of other cancer cells within the
body.
Depending on the types of cell, prostate cancer stages can
progress swiftly or more slowly. This process appears to be
unique to each individual. Sadly, in many cases, the
diagnosis does not come early enough. And the most commonly
diagnosed stages of prostate cancer are the latter stages.
Once a patient has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, it
is crucial that tests be performed to determine the stage
and growth rate of the cancer. |
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The outcomes of these tests will help decide what
treatments are necessary and most beneficial to the patients.
Prostate cancer stages are a significant part of determining the
treatment options for those diagnosed with the disease.
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