Prostate Cancer Staging And Diagnosis

By Olive Pate


In our modern times, cancer is key health concern. Prostate cancer staging is the criteria followed by physicians to expound on the prostate cancer on issues concerning its location, how far it has advanced and the chances of it spreading to other organs apart from the prostate gland. This also involves the treatment the rapiers to be undertaken to help contain the tumor.

The procedure is carried out by doctors by carrying out tests to determine the extent of the tumor. The patient undergoes various tests and thus takes a longer time. The doctors are provided with the responsibility of looking at the results and interpreting them. This helps them determine how wide the cancerous growth has spread and the affected areas. In this way doctors can ascertain a suitable form of treatment and determine the chances of survival.

The tumor spreads in stages. The first stage is mostly comprised of series of undetected tumor. It can not be felt or seen on any imaging tests. It is found on the gland only and is made up of cells that are deceivingly healthy and have a slow but steady growth. They can not be detected easily and thus hard to treat at this stage.

On the second stage, the tumor is too small to be figured on any tests. It is described as slightly larger lump that is felt around the gland. In this second stage, the tumor is still limited to the gland. The cells are always abnormal and grow steadily which increases the risk of the tumor spreading to other parts of the body.

The cancerous growth may start to spread past the glad to the nearby organs and tissues that surround the gland on the third stage. The seminal vesicles may also be affected by the tumor. In the this stage the tumor has spread widely through the prostatic capsule and the lump is felt on the surface of the gland.

The immediate fourth stage is described by any tumor that has already spread to other parts of the body and invaded all the nearby organs, such as the rectum, bladder, bone, lungs, lymph nodes or liver.

Through early detection the tumor could be eliminated through various medical stages. The clinical stage, norms its basis on test results that were done before. The tests such as an MRI scan and bone scans are performed although they are not necessary unless advised in reference to the size of the tumor and its stage.

The pathologic stage which is based on information passed on during laboratory and surgery outcomes of the prostate tissues extracted during the surgery. The surgery in most cases involves the extraction of the entire glands.

Recurrent prostate cancer which is a reoccurred tumor after treatment is common in many cancer situations. It may be reverted to the gland or other organs of the body. If this happens the tumor may need to be reviewed again. This helps in earlier detection which in turns leads to an early treatment for the patient which increases the chances of recovery and elimination of the tumor.




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