Staging of cancer is very important in communicating the features of the disease. There is need for scanning and laboratory tests for the proper diagnosis to be made. Knowing the characteristics of the disease will help the doctors make appropriate treatment decisions. That is why prostate cancer staging is insisted.
The cancer of the prostate is staged using TNM stages. This is in the international standard of staging. It assesses the tumor, lymph nodes and the degree of spread. If the tumor is said to be in T1, it means that the area affected is too small and thus a diagnosis cannot be made through palpation or scans. A needle biopsy has to be done in order to pick this up.
Tumors in stage T2 are classified into three categories. The first one is T2a which indicates that only one lobe of the prostate gland is affected. In T2b, more than half of gland is affected and in T2c stage the entire lobe is affected. On the other hand, if the tumor has left the prostate gland to affect the capsule but has not spread further is said to be in stage T3. This stage has two categories. T3a and T3b where the malignancy has reached the capsule and seminal vesicles respectively.
Stage T4 tumors usually have metastasized. The common areas affected include the pelvic cavity, bladder and rectum. The T4 and T3 tumor stages are said to be locally advanced stages. These are the most difficult stages to treat.
Lymph nodes are said to be positive if they have been invaded by cancer cells. They will increase in size during this time. In stage NX, the lymph lodes have not been affected. In N0, the lymph node close to the prostate gland have no cancer cells but in N1 stage, the lymph nodes close to the gland have been affected
When classifying according to the degree of spread, the first stage is M0 which signifies that the tumor is confined just within the pelvis. In M1, the cancer has finally got out of the pelvis. It has sub stages. The first one is the M1a where the lymph nodes next to the pelvis have been affected and M1b means the skeletal system has been affected by the tumor. In M1c, the malignancy has eventually spread to the rest of a body. A couple of factors are considered in doing the staging.
Locally advanced cancer of the prostate is confined to the gland but the metastatic type has spread. The places which are hardly hit are the bones and lymph nodes. However, many a times it reaches other body organs too.
To note is that it is possible for the malignancy to spread even when it not advanced. This is why serious actions should be taken to manage the disease in case scans show that there is some degree of metastasis. The cure rates are high if the treatment is started early.
The cancer of the prostate is staged using TNM stages. This is in the international standard of staging. It assesses the tumor, lymph nodes and the degree of spread. If the tumor is said to be in T1, it means that the area affected is too small and thus a diagnosis cannot be made through palpation or scans. A needle biopsy has to be done in order to pick this up.
Tumors in stage T2 are classified into three categories. The first one is T2a which indicates that only one lobe of the prostate gland is affected. In T2b, more than half of gland is affected and in T2c stage the entire lobe is affected. On the other hand, if the tumor has left the prostate gland to affect the capsule but has not spread further is said to be in stage T3. This stage has two categories. T3a and T3b where the malignancy has reached the capsule and seminal vesicles respectively.
Stage T4 tumors usually have metastasized. The common areas affected include the pelvic cavity, bladder and rectum. The T4 and T3 tumor stages are said to be locally advanced stages. These are the most difficult stages to treat.
Lymph nodes are said to be positive if they have been invaded by cancer cells. They will increase in size during this time. In stage NX, the lymph lodes have not been affected. In N0, the lymph node close to the prostate gland have no cancer cells but in N1 stage, the lymph nodes close to the gland have been affected
When classifying according to the degree of spread, the first stage is M0 which signifies that the tumor is confined just within the pelvis. In M1, the cancer has finally got out of the pelvis. It has sub stages. The first one is the M1a where the lymph nodes next to the pelvis have been affected and M1b means the skeletal system has been affected by the tumor. In M1c, the malignancy has eventually spread to the rest of a body. A couple of factors are considered in doing the staging.
Locally advanced cancer of the prostate is confined to the gland but the metastatic type has spread. The places which are hardly hit are the bones and lymph nodes. However, many a times it reaches other body organs too.
To note is that it is possible for the malignancy to spread even when it not advanced. This is why serious actions should be taken to manage the disease in case scans show that there is some degree of metastasis. The cure rates are high if the treatment is started early.
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