Understanding the Prostate Cancer Stages

dpadmin Livontaglobal

Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that particularly affects men (especially older men). Prostate cancer is classified in various stages. Early stages have a high cure rate, so early screening and detection are important to lead a healthy life. In the United States, the 5-year survival rate with prostate cancer is close to 98%. Many hospitals are offering the best cancer treatment in India to patients who are suffering from prostate cancer. In this context, you may consult with Livonta Global that is tied up with many reputed hospitals for cancer treatment in India.
When you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, your treatment plan will depend on how far cancer has spread in your body. The doctors use a system called staging to figure out how cancer affects your prostate. In this article, we are going to discuss various stages of prostate cancer and the respective treatment plans.

How is Prostate Cancer Diagnosed?

PSA

This is a protein made by both normal and cancerous cells in your prostate. A higher PSA level in your blood may enhance the risk of developing prostate cancer. As per the American Cancer Society, if you have a PSA level between 4 and 10 ng/mL, there is a 25 per cent chance you have prostate cancer. If your PSA level is above 10 ng/mL, there is a more than 50 per cent chance of having prostate cancer. The American urological association refers individuals between the ages of 55 and 69 to go for PSA screening.

Gleason prostate cancer score

By looking at the biopsy of your prostate tissue, a pathologist can determine your Gleason score. They grade the cells in the biopsy on a scale of 1 to 5. Grade 1 cells are healthy prostate, whereas grade 5 cells are highly mutated and don’t possess any healthy cell.

Grade groups

The grade group system was introduced in 2014 and it simplifies Gleason scores and gives a more accurate diagnosis.

Cancer Grade Grade group
Low to very low Grade group 1
Intermediate Grade group 2
Intermediate Grade group 3
High to very high Grade group 4
High to very high Grade group 5

 

Prostate Cancer Stages

Stage 1

Cancer is very small at this stage and doesn’t spread apart from the prostate gland. It is characterized by a PSA of less than 10 ng/mL, a grade group score of 1, and a Gleason score of 6.

Treatment:

Active surveillance is recommended by doctors to monitor cancer over time to see if further treatment is needed. Sometimes radical prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland) is recommended.

Stage 2

In this stage, the cancer is still restricted to your prostate and hasn’t spread to lymph nodes or other parts of your body. The PSA score for stage 2 is less than 20 ng/mL. Stage 2 cancer is divided into three sub-stages.
· Stage 2A (Gleason score: 6 or less)
· Stage 2 B (Gleason score is 7)
· Stage 2 C (Gleason score is 7 or 8)

Treatment:

· Removal of prostate
· Radiation therapy
· Hormone therapy combined with radiation therapy

Stage 3

In this stage, the cancer cells may or may not have spread outside the prostate to other tissues.
· Stage 3 A (PSA >20 ng/ml and Gleason score: 8 or less)
· Stage 3B (PSA at any level and Gleason score: 8 or less)
· Stage 3C (PSA at any level and Gleason score: 9 or 10

Treatment:

· external beam radiation along with hormone therapy
· radiation plus hormone therapy
· radical prostatectomy (removal of the pelvic lymph node)

Stage 4

In this stage, cancer may spread to distant lymph nodes, as well as other parts of the body such as other organs or bones.

Treatment:

· hormone therapy
· Chemotherapy
· external beam radiation
· radiation targeting bones
· prostate removal or surgery

Stage 5

In this stage, cancer would have completely metastasized (spread) to the entire body of the patient. In this stage, cancer can spread to the other organs, the bones, and even the lymph nodes. It is known as the N+ (when it has affected the pelvic lymph nodes) and M+ stage (when it has affected the other organs, the bones as well as the lymph nodes).

Knowing which stage your prostate cancer is in will help the doctors to design the best treatment plans for you.
Livonta Global is a reputed name in the field of medical tourism. The company is partnered with many reputed hospitals that offer the best cancer treatment in India.
If you are suffering from prostate cancer and looking for the best cancer treatment in India, get in touch with Livonta Global.

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