Know the basics of prostate health

Prostate health basics

Understanding prostate cancer

Risk factors

Understanding the symptoms

Choosing the treatment that's right for you

 

Choosing the treatment that's right for you

Once you've been diagnosed with prostate cancer, your doctor recommends a treatment plan that's right for you. Doctors consider several key factors:

  1. Your age and overall health1
  2. Whether your prostate cancer is newly discovered, or previously diagnosed and has now returned
  3. The stage of your cancer—based on how much cancer you have and whether it has spread to other areas2
    • Stage I - very early cancer that is still microscopic and confined to the prostate
    • Stage II - the cancer is still small and confined to the prostate, but can be felt
    • Stage III - the cancer has spread to local areas around the prostate
    • Stage IV - the cancer has spread beyond the prostate to bones, lymph nodes, lungs, or other organs
  4. The grade of your cancer, which estimates how aggressive (fast-moving) your cancer is and how well you may respond to therapy over time. Under the Gleason grading system, the doctor will take a sample of your prostate cancer cells and, after a complex series of calculations, assign a Gleason score between 2 (nonaggressive) and 10 (very aggressive).2
  5. Your level of PSA (prostate-specific antigen), a substance produced by your prostate gland. While a small amount of PSA naturally enters your bloodstream, any fluctuation in PSA level may signal a prostate infection, inflammation, or possibly cancer. A simple blood test is used to determine your PSA level.2

References: 1. What are the key statistics about prostate cancer? American Cancer Society Web site. Available at: http://www.cancer.org. Accessed March 12, 2008. 2. Prostate cancer: overview. Mayo Clinic Web site. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com. Accessed March 28, 2008.