Staging of cancer is meant to help the medical practitioner to tell how far it has spread. You will have to go through a series of scans and tests to determine the extent of the pathology. From the results, effective treatment plans can then be put into action. Prostate cancer staging is therefore very important.
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.
Stage two in the tumor classification system is divided into three. T2a means half of the prostate gland is affected while in T2b the area affected exceed half. In T3c, the whole of the gland has been invaded by the cancerous cells. In tumor stage 3, the capsule has been broken into by the cancerous cells. This stage also has been subdivided into T3a where the capsule is the only other place which has been affected besides the prostate gland and in T3b, seminal vesicles have been invaded by the cancerous cells.
The final stage in tumor classification is T4 stage in which the tumor is found in various body organs. The nearby organs are mostly affected including the rectum, muscles, bladder and the pelvic cavity sides. The fourth and third stages are the most difficult to manage.
The lymph nodes will be described to be positive if they have cancerous cells. This makes them enlarge. The degree of enlargement is directly proportional to the number of cancer cells in the lymph node. In NX stage, the nodes can not be checked while in N0 stage, the nodes close to the gland have not been affected. In N1 stage, the lymph nodes have cancerous cells.
In metastasis staging, the first one is Mo where the malignancy has not spread out of pelvis. In M1, the malignancy has reached outside the pelvis. This stage has three subdivisions. In M1a, the cancerous cells have not affected the lymph nodes which are not in the pelvis while in M1b, the malignancy has spread to the bone. Last come M1c in which the cancer has spread to the rest of body organs. There are different things which have to be put into consideration when staging the cancer. Mostly, it is the invasiveness of the disease and its aggressiveness.
Locally advanced type of prostate cancer extends just to the capsule of this gland but the metastasizing type spreads to many of body organs. Mainly, the victims of this spread are the bones and lymph nodes. This is why early detection is stressed to prevent such complications.
Even with the small tumors of prostrate, metastasis is possible. This cancer tends to be very aggressive. In such the staging of such a cancer, if the scans of the skeletal system come back positive, the staging should follow the metastasis aspect. It needs immediate action so as to minimize the spread and suffering. Also, complications will be minimized. The person can go on with his or her life normally for many years if the management follows the standard protocol.
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.
Stage two in the tumor classification system is divided into three. T2a means half of the prostate gland is affected while in T2b the area affected exceed half. In T3c, the whole of the gland has been invaded by the cancerous cells. In tumor stage 3, the capsule has been broken into by the cancerous cells. This stage also has been subdivided into T3a where the capsule is the only other place which has been affected besides the prostate gland and in T3b, seminal vesicles have been invaded by the cancerous cells.
The final stage in tumor classification is T4 stage in which the tumor is found in various body organs. The nearby organs are mostly affected including the rectum, muscles, bladder and the pelvic cavity sides. The fourth and third stages are the most difficult to manage.
The lymph nodes will be described to be positive if they have cancerous cells. This makes them enlarge. The degree of enlargement is directly proportional to the number of cancer cells in the lymph node. In NX stage, the nodes can not be checked while in N0 stage, the nodes close to the gland have not been affected. In N1 stage, the lymph nodes have cancerous cells.
In metastasis staging, the first one is Mo where the malignancy has not spread out of pelvis. In M1, the malignancy has reached outside the pelvis. This stage has three subdivisions. In M1a, the cancerous cells have not affected the lymph nodes which are not in the pelvis while in M1b, the malignancy has spread to the bone. Last come M1c in which the cancer has spread to the rest of body organs. There are different things which have to be put into consideration when staging the cancer. Mostly, it is the invasiveness of the disease and its aggressiveness.
Locally advanced type of prostate cancer extends just to the capsule of this gland but the metastasizing type spreads to many of body organs. Mainly, the victims of this spread are the bones and lymph nodes. This is why early detection is stressed to prevent such complications.
Even with the small tumors of prostrate, metastasis is possible. This cancer tends to be very aggressive. In such the staging of such a cancer, if the scans of the skeletal system come back positive, the staging should follow the metastasis aspect. It needs immediate action so as to minimize the spread and suffering. Also, complications will be minimized. The person can go on with his or her life normally for many years if the management follows the standard protocol.
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