The staging of cancers, particularly prostate cancer is a very interesting subject, people here on TV or on a new program that someone has a stage T2 or T3 liver cancer, the problem is that most cancers have multiple staging systems and there supposed to be uniform, their not.
- T – refers to the tumor size
- M – refers to the presence or absence of metastatic disease
But you want to know what the stage is, you want to know if the cancer is localized and amenable to cure or is it spread and amenable to treatment or palliation, palliation means controlling the cancer, it doesn’t mean curing it.
So when someone asks: “What stage is the cancer?” – The real explanation is that there are multiple staging systems.
Stage 1 and stage 2 prostate cancer – these stages are localized to the prostate and is amenable to cure or treatment.
- Stage one prostate cancer cannot be detected by rectum exam
- Stage two prostate cancer is large enough to be palpable on rectum exam
With the advancements, PSA testing for the early detection of prostate cancer the vast majority of prostate cancers are detected at an early stage, meaning stage one and stage two prostate cancer, since they are localized to the prostate they have the potential to be cured with either surgery or radiation.
Stage three prostate cancer – is the type of cancer that escaped locally outside of the prostate through the capsule or invades the seminal vesicles where semen is stored.
Stage four prostate cancer – is cancer that invades other organs including the prostate, organs such as the bladder, rectum or pelvic muscles.
Most urologists will classify your prostate cancer into low, medium or high risk, based on certain factors including your PSA score.
Stages Of Prostate Cancer 