Staging of Prostate Cancer

Search

What is staging of prostate cancer? If cancer is found in the prostate, your physician will determine the stage, or extent, of the disease. Staging is an attempt to determine whether the cancer has spread and, if so, what areas of the body are affected. Various blood and imaging tests are used to learn the stage of the disease. Treatment decisions depend on these findings.

Whitmore-Jewett and TNM are staging systems to assess how far the cancer has progressed. The Whitmore-Jewett system uses a letter from A to D to identify the stages. the TNM system evaluated the primary tumor (T), lymph nodes (N), and distant metastases (M).

Results from staging and grading the cancer provide information a cancer team can use to define a treatment plan that will be presented to and discussed with the patient and family members.

Whitmore-Jewett
Stage A
A1 Cancer well differentiated and confined to one site.
A2 Cancer moderately or poorly differentiated or present in more than one site.

Stage B
Cancer large enough to be felt on DRE.
B1 Small nodule on one lobe of prostate.
B2 Large nodule, several small nodules, or a nodule containing poorly differentiated cells.

Stage C
A large cancer involving nearly the entire gland.
C1 Cancer may have spread a small distance beyond the gland.
C2 Cancer has invaded the neighboring tissue.

Stage D
Widespread (metastic) cancer.
D1 Cancer in pelvic lymph nodes.
D2 Cancer in bone or other organs.
TMN
(tumor, node, metastases)
Primary Tumor
TX Primary tumor cannot be assessed.
T0 No evidence of primary tumor.
T1 Tumor not palpable nor visible by imaging.
T1a Tumor incidental histologic finding in 5% or less of tissue resected.
T1b Tumor incidental histologic finding in more than 5% of tissue resected.
T1c Tumor identified by needle biopsy. (e.g. because of elevated PSA).
T2 Tumor confined within prostate.*
T2a Tumor involves one lobe.
T2b Tumor involves both lobes.
*Note: Tumor found in one or both lobes by needle biopsy, but not palpable or reliably visible by imaging in classified as T1c.
T3 Tumor extends through capsule.**
T3a Tumor extends on one or both sides.
T3b Tumor invades seminal vesicle.
**Note: Invasion into the prostatic apex or into (but not beyond) the prostate capsule is not classified as T3, but as T2.
T4 Tumor is fixed or invades adjacent structures other than seminal vesicles: bladder neck, external sphincter, rectum, levator muscles, and/or pelvic wall.

Regional Lymph Nodes (N)
NX Regional lymph nodes cannot be assessed.
N0 No regional lymph node metastasis.
N1 Metastasis in regional lymph node(s).

Metastases (M)
MX Distant metastasis cannot by assessed.
M0 No distant metastasis.
M1 Distant metastasis.
M1a Nonregional lymph node(s).
M1b Bone(s).
M1c Other site(s).
UAB Health System
UAB Health System

UAB Health System

HON Text Only   © 2008 UAB Health System. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer.

Physicians & Caregivers

Clinical Services & Clinics

Health Information A-Z

Medical Publications

Events

Research & Trials

Login