Learning More About Prostate Cancer Staging

Posted by George Suarez on August 30th, 2017

Before your doctor can determine a treatment plan or administer prostate cancer treatment with HIFU, they first have to determine the extent of your cancer and this involves stating. It can make the process a bit easier to cope with when you have a general understanding of what the stages mean and the methods your doctor might use to stage your cancer. Once staging is completed, your doctor will discuss treating prostate cancer with HIFU and your other options.

 Learning More About the Stages of Prostate Cancer

There are four stages that can be assigned to prostate cancer. The stage your cancer is at will play a role in what your doctor recommends to treat it. Staging is important to determine the right course of treatment and to see if specific treatments, such as prostate cancer treatment with HIFU, are viable options.

If you are determined to be at stage one, this means that your cancer is not considered to be aggressive upon microscopic evaluation. The malignant cells are still in your prostate and usually confined to a small area.

If your doctor puts you at stage two, your cancer could be either aggressive, but still only occupying a small area of your prostate. In some cases, a larger part of the prostate is involved, but the cancer is considered to be non-aggressive. In some cases, both sides of this gland are affected by the cancer.

If you are at stage three, your cancer has spread. It might now also be in nearby tissues or in your seminal vesicles.

Once you get to stage four, your doctor has determined that you have the most advanced type of prostate cancer. The cancer has spready outside of your prostate gland and is also affecting organs that are nearby. This might include your bladder, bones, lymph nodes or lungs, for example.

Testing Methods to Determine the Prostate Cancer Stage

Determining the exact stage of your cancer is imperative. Once your doctor has accurately staged your malignancy, they can better determine the best course of action, such as treating prostate cancer with HIFU, chemotherapy or other options. Commonly used staging techniques include a bone scan, computerized tomography, positron emission tomography, ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging.

You can see that the staging process is relatively straightforward. Now that you have this information, it makes it a bit easier to ensure that you can advocate for your health, starting with diagnosis and staging and going through your treatments, such as prostate cancer treatment with HIFU. Your doctor will give you all of the important information about the medications and treating prostate cancer with HIFU so that you can work together to develop your treatment plan.