Staging of tumors helps the doctor to tell how extensive the disease is. However, several scans have to be done and tests carried out for a proper diagnosis. From the results, management plans can then be drawn. This is why professionals in the medical field emphasize on prostate cancer staging.
The TNM staging system is the commonly accepted technique of staging prostate cancer. It assesses metastases, lymph nodes and tumor separately. T staging comes first. In tumor stage 1, the malignancy cells are so insignificant such that they cannot be picked up by scans or the normal laboratory tests. A needle biopsy has to be done for confirmation purposes.
T2 stage tumors are inside the prostate gland only. They are in three groups. The initial one is T2a where just half of gland lobes are affected. In T2b, more than half of the gland has been affected and lastly in T2c, all of lobes have been affected. If the malignancy has spread to the capsule of the gland, it is classified as T3 tumor.
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
If the tumor has metastasized, the level of metastasis has to be communicated. M0 stage means that the tumor is just within the pelvis while M1 stage means that the malignancy has spread out of pelvis. This stage has two sub stages. M1a stage means that the lymph nodes not in the pelvis have cancer cells while in M1b the malignancy has affected the skeletal system. M1c is diagnosed when the malignancy has invaded the rest of body organs. You need to consider a number of aspects if you are to make an accurate diagnosis.
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.
Metastasis can occur when the tumor is still in its initial stages. That is why people are advised to regularly go for blood tests and scans for early diagnosis. If some cancerous cells are found in other body organs, immediate action should be taken to control the spread.
The TNM staging system is the commonly accepted technique of staging prostate cancer. It assesses metastases, lymph nodes and tumor separately. T staging comes first. In tumor stage 1, the malignancy cells are so insignificant such that they cannot be picked up by scans or the normal laboratory tests. A needle biopsy has to be done for confirmation purposes.
T2 stage tumors are inside the prostate gland only. They are in three groups. The initial one is T2a where just half of gland lobes are affected. In T2b, more than half of the gland has been affected and lastly in T2c, all of lobes have been affected. If the malignancy has spread to the capsule of the gland, it is classified as T3 tumor.
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
If the tumor has metastasized, the level of metastasis has to be communicated. M0 stage means that the tumor is just within the pelvis while M1 stage means that the malignancy has spread out of pelvis. This stage has two sub stages. M1a stage means that the lymph nodes not in the pelvis have cancer cells while in M1b the malignancy has affected the skeletal system. M1c is diagnosed when the malignancy has invaded the rest of body organs. You need to consider a number of aspects if you are to make an accurate diagnosis.
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.
Metastasis can occur when the tumor is still in its initial stages. That is why people are advised to regularly go for blood tests and scans for early diagnosis. If some cancerous cells are found in other body organs, immediate action should be taken to control the spread.
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