The Four Stages of Prostate Cancer

There are four stages of prostate cancer, and doctors have to conduct investigations and tests on their patients to assess which stage their cancer is at. This is important because it is dependent at what the stage is as to what treatment is given to combat the disease.

To arrive at how the measure of staging the size of the tumor is assessed, and whether the lymph glands, or nodes are affected and also whether or not the cancer has spread to other parts of the body the following staging is used.

Stage 1

The cancer is very small and completely within the prostate gland. When a rectal examination is carried out the doctor cannot feel anything. Further tests would need to be completed to ascertain that a tumor was present. This is the very early stages where treatment will have the very best outcome.

Stage 2

The cancer is still confined within the prostate gland, but it has become larger, and a distinct hard lump can be felt when a rectal examination is carried out. The doctor will now have his suspicions about what the problem is, the blood work and tests he orders will just be to confirm hi suspicions.

Stage 3

The cancer has broken through the covering of the prostate and may have grown into the surrounding tissue including the neck of the bladder or the seminal vesicle. The man who has the tumor probably be experiencing quite a lot of discomfort and distress when trying to pass urine. He may well be feeling quite ill at this time with various aches and pains, he may also start to lose weight.  

Stage 4

The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, either the bones or the lymph glands. Usually prostate cancer is more likely to spread to the bones, and this can occur when the cancer is very small. When this occurs the stage of the cancer is determined by its presence in the bone; in other words it is a cancer within stage 4.

The prognosis for prostate cancer depends not only on your age and the stage of your cancer it depends very much on your mental attitude. This is the case with cancer in general, not just of the prostate.

Many people automatically assume that a diagnosis of cancer is a life sentence. This is just not the case. Many more people defeat cancer than those who die of it. Unfortunately it is those people who refuse to accept their illness that put their lives most at risk.

Most doctors' agree that patients who maintain the most positive attitude to their cancer manage much better than those patients who get depressed. Some doctors go even further by stating an optimistic approach helps strengthen the bodies' natural protective mechanisms. This means remaining positive improves your immune responses and you have a much better chance of defeating your illness.

In essence, the chances are that most sufferers of prostate cancer will live a long and healthy life as long as they remain proactive and optimistic.

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