Prostate Cancer Stages 1-10 Defined

Stages of Prostate Cancer Defined

The stages of prostate cancer is defined as the approximation of the sizing and location of the cancer at the current time. More specifically, it denotations to how extended the cancer is inside the prostate and if it has outspread to tissues across the prostate or to other parts of the body. The stages of the cancer is the most crucial deciding factor in which treatment will be used.

In general, prostate cancer can be classify into 4 stages using the Whitmore-Jewett system or the TNM system and sub-divide into stages 1-10 using the Gleason grading system. The following will illustrate further using the Whitmore-Jewett system and Gleason system:

Stage	Tumor	Nodes	Metastasis	Grade
Stage 1	T1a	N0	M0	G1
Stage 2	T1a	N0	M0	G2–4
	T1b	N0	M0	Any G
	T1c	N0	M0	Any G
	T1	N0	M0	Any G
	T2	N0	M0	Any G
Stage 3	T3	N0	M0	Any G
Stage 4	T4	N0	M0	Any G
	Any T	N1	M0	Any G
	Any T	Any N	M1	Any G

Prostate Cancer Stage 1
Stage 1 prostate cancer is discovered in the prostate only. Prostate cancer stage 1 is microscopic, the cancer is very small and confined to the prostate. It can’t be felt on a digital rectal exam (DRE), and it isn’t seen on imaging of the prostate.

Prostate Cancer Stage 2
Stage 2 prostate cancer, the tumor has grown inside the prostate but hasn’t went beyond it. The cancer can be felt as a hard lump during a rectal examination, but it is still inside the prostate gland.

Prostate Cancer Stage 3
Stage 3 prostate cancer has started to break through the outer area of the prostate gland, but only scantily. Prostate cancer in stage 3 may affect nearby tissues, like the seminal vesicles.

Prostate Cancer Stage 4
In stage 4, the cancer has spread (metastasized) beyond the prostate to other tissues. Stage 4 prostate cancer usually spreads to lymph nodes, bladder or back passage (rectum) or to more distant organs such as the bones, liver, or lungs.

T1: The doctor cannot feel the tumor or see it with imaging such as transrectal ultrasound.

• T1a: Cancer is discovered by chance during a transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) that was conducted for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Cancer is in no greater than 5% of the tissue abstracted.
• T1b: Cancer is found during a TURP but is in over 5% of the tissue abstracted.
• T1c: Cancer is discovered by needle biopsy that was conducted because of an increased PSA.

T2: Doctor can find the cancer with a digital rectal exam (DRE) or determine it with
imaging such as transrectal ultrasound, but it is still confined to the prostate gland.

T3: The cancer has started to grow and spread beyond the prostate and may have spread into the seminal vesicles.

T4: The cancer has grown into tissues outside the prostate (other than the seminal vesicles), such as the urethral sphincter (muscle that helps control urination), the rectum, the bladder, and/or the wall of the pelvis.

If the cancer has spread to other parts of the body this is known as metastatic, secondary, or advanced prostate cancer.

Accurately distinguishing the prostate cancer stage is extremely crucial. Prostate cancer stage helps ascertain the optimal treatment, as well as prognosis. For this reason, it’s worth going through extensive examination to get the correct prostate cancer stages 1-10.