What are the Stages of Prostate Cancer?
The time at which cancer is diagnosed defines the stage. These stages define the treatment that will be suitable for the patient. Staging is a system that determines how much area is affected. It gives an idea to the doctors on how cancer has affected the prostate. The TNM System: The TNM stages are used to represent the stages of cancer. Three phases are used to describe the spread and the growth of the tumor. • Tumor (T): It defines the actual size of the tumor in prostate cancer. • Nodes (N): It is used to find out whether it is spread to the lymph nodes or not. If it is spread to the lymph nodes, then it also defines how far it’s spread. • Metastasis (M): It defines the spread of cancer. Determining Prostate Cancer Stages: The doctors combine Gleason score, PSA levels, and the results of TNM. This process is called stage grouping. These stages determine the course of the treatment. The stages are denoted using Roman numerals. Stage I: In this