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How We Diagnose Prostate CancerIdentifying the stage of your cancer and its Gleason score helps us recommend the treatment best for you. If your PSA level is elevated, or if your doctor finds something unusual during your digital rectal exam, your doctor will recommend a biopsy. A biopsy is usually done by a urologist.A biopsy involves removing a small amount of prostate tissue for a pathologist to examine. It takes about 15 minutes and is usually done in a doctor’s office. Using ultrasound as a guide, the doctor places a thin needle through the rectum and into the prostate. It sounds like it hurts, but most men feel only minor discomfort during the biopsy, and maybe for a few days after. If you have cancer, the tumor will be given a grade called the Gleason score. It ranges from 2 to 10. The lower the number, the less likely the cancer is to spread. StagingOnce you know you have cancer, doctors need to know how advanced it is. This determines your treatment options. Possible other tests include:
Prostate Cancer StagesStage 1. Cancer is found in the prostate only. It cannot be felt during a digital rectal exam and is not visible by imaging. The Gleason score is low.Stage II. Cancer is more advanced but still hasn’t spread outside the prostate. The Gleason score can range from 2 to 10. Stage III. Cancer has spread outside the prostate to nearby tissues. Cancer may be found in the seminal vesicles, the glands that produce semen. The Gleason score can range from 2 to 10. Stage IV. Cancer has spread (metastasized) to lymph nodes near or far from the prostate. Or, cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the bladder, rectum, bones, liver or lungs. Prostate cancer often spreads to the bones. In Stage IV, the Gleason score can range from 2 to 10. This page last updated 2/12/08 04:08 PM
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