Good Morning, just having a conversation with a friend on Facebook and found that my friend is battling cancer as well. I don't know what type she has or how they are treating her I only hope she is with some oft the best doctors in Erie. With my test tomorrow I wanted to do a little reading up on what I am to expect tomorrow. I am scared to death and I am so lucky that I will have someone who loves me so much, and know how to handle me in such a scary situation.
Diagnosing prostate cancer
Determining whether prostate cancer is aggressive
When a biopsy confirms the presence of cancer, the next step is to determine the level of aggressiveness (grade) of the cancer cells. In a laboratory, a pathologist examines a sample of your cancer to determine how much cancer cells differ from the healthy cells. A higher grade indicates a more aggressive cancer that is more likely to spread quickly.
The most common scale used to evaluate the grade of prostate cancer cells is called a Gleason score. Scoring combines two numbers and can range from 2 (nonaggressive cancer) to 10 (very aggressive cancer).
Determining how far the cancer has spread
Once a prostate cancer diagnosis has been made, your doctor works to determine the extent (stage) of the cancer. If your doctor suspects your cancer may have spread beyond your prostate, imaging tests such as these may be recommended:
- Bone scan
- Ultrasound
- Computerized tomography (CT) scan
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
Not every person should have every test. Your doctor will help determine which tests are best for your individual case.
Once testing is complete, your doctor assigns your cancer a stage. This helps determine your treatment options. The prostate cancer stages are:
- Stage I. This stage signifies very early cancer that's confined to a small area of the prostate. When viewed under a microscope, the cancer cells aren't considered aggressive.
- Stage II. Cancer at this stage may still be small but may be considered aggressive when cancer cells are viewed under the microscope. Or cancer that is stage II may be larger and may have grown to involve both sides of the prostate gland.
- Stage III. The cancer has spread beyond the prostate to the seminal vesicles or other nearby tissues.
- Stage IV. The cancer has grown to invade nearby organs, such as the bladder, or spread to lymph nodes, bones, lungs or other organs.
I Hope that we will find out what stage the cancer is tomorrow, I don't think I can take much more of the waiting. When he tells me the outcome of the tests, I will be ready and listen with an open mind and heart. I know there is nothing I can't do when i put my mind to it. I have done so much in the past, this seems like a drop in the bucket.. I just need to know how deep in that bucket I will be reaching. Let's all hope for Stage 1 or 2 and have a plan for the rest. <3 BIG BEAR HUGS
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