Once prostate cancer has been diagnosed, further testing is done to determine if spread has occurred. The majority of men do not require these additional investigations if no other symptoms are present. Treatment of the prostate cancer is then based on the needle biopsy results.
Test to determine spread of cancer are all radiological and may include a bone scan, Ultrasound, CT or MRI. Sometimes biopsy of the lymph nodes in the pelvis is required to determine if they are cancerous.
Grading
Whenever a cancer is diagnosed, the next step is to define the grade-which allows one to determine it aggressiveness. The degree of aggressiveness can be evaluated by looking at the degree of differentiation of the prostate cells.
The degree of differentiation is then graded. With prostate cancer, a grading scale known as the Gleason score is used to define the degree of differentiation. The Gleason grading scale runs from 1 to 5, with 1 being the least aggressive form of cancer.
The Gleason scores may be helpful in determining which is the best treatment option. Once grading of the cancer has been completed, the next step is to define the stage of the cancer. This basically determines if the cancer has spread and how far the spread has occurred.
Showing posts with label prostate cancer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prostate cancer. Show all posts
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Prostate Cancer Part 1
All men over the age of 50 are at a risk for prostate cancer. Although prostate cancer rarely occurs in young males, the disorder is primarily seen in older men and the risk of prostate cancer increases with age. More than 70% of men over the age of 65 are annually diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among North American men and accounts for 25% of cancers in men. Epidemiology shows that incidence rates for prostate cancer vary geographically. In North America there are variations in incidence rates within the population: the black population has a significantly higher rate than the white population and the Asian population have the lowest rate.
The prostate is a small, walnut-shaped organ located in the rectal area. It surrounds the base of the bladder through which runs the urethra. The primary function of the prostate is to produce seminal fluid which provides nourishment and transports sperm.
Prostate cancer is generally a slow growing tumor and typically starts off in the periphery of the gland. In the early stages, prostate cancer causes no symptoms. However, if left untreated, it can grow and invade adjacent organs and spread to other parts of the body. What causes prostate cancer and why some subtypes behave differently remains unknown. It is believed that a multitude of factors such as heredity, ethnicity, hormones, diet and environment may play a role in the cause of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among North American men and accounts for 25% of cancers in men. Epidemiology shows that incidence rates for prostate cancer vary geographically. In North America there are variations in incidence rates within the population: the black population has a significantly higher rate than the white population and the Asian population have the lowest rate.
The prostate is a small, walnut-shaped organ located in the rectal area. It surrounds the base of the bladder through which runs the urethra. The primary function of the prostate is to produce seminal fluid which provides nourishment and transports sperm.
Prostate cancer is generally a slow growing tumor and typically starts off in the periphery of the gland. In the early stages, prostate cancer causes no symptoms. However, if left untreated, it can grow and invade adjacent organs and spread to other parts of the body. What causes prostate cancer and why some subtypes behave differently remains unknown. It is believed that a multitude of factors such as heredity, ethnicity, hormones, diet and environment may play a role in the cause of prostate cancer.
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