Prostate Cancer Patients Should Know Their Risk Group Before Starting Treatment

It is extremely important for prostate cancer patients to learn their risk group with their physician's help so they can take a more active role both in treatment decisions and in following developments related to their disease.

Although prostate cancer is among the most common cancers and leading cancer causes of death in men, appropriate treatment can produce extremely successful results. Treatment options include surgical removal of the prostate gland (radical prostatectomy), radiotherapy, and close monitoring without intervention.

When deciding which option is most suitable, cancer stage, aggressiveness, or PSA values may be used. However, the most appropriate approach is to assess all these criteria together and determine the patient's risk group (low/intermediate/high). This greatly benefits both treatment decisions and better monitoring of advances in prostate cancer treatment.

Close monitoring without treatment is prominent in low-risk and some intermediate-risk prostate cancers, while methods such as surgery and radiotherapy are prominent in high-risk and other intermediate-risk cancers. Risk groups are also constantly mentioned when research advances are announced, yet many patients do not even know their own group. A prostate cancer patient should know their risk group before treatment, begin treatment accordingly, and follow developments with that knowledge.

According to the Prostate Cancer Risk Classification Accepted by the American Urological Association and European Association of Urology;

Low-Risk Prostate Cancer: Stage T1-T2a and Gleason score ≤6 and PSA ≤10

Intermediate-Risk Prostate Cancer: Stage T2b and/or Gleason score =7 and/or 10< PSA ≤20

High-Risk Prostate Cancer: Stage ≥T2c or Gleason score 8–10 or PSA >20

PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is a protein produced by prostate cells. Measuring its blood level is used in prostate cancer diagnosis and post-treatment monitoring. A normal PSA value is below 4.

Gleason scoring provides an indication of cancer cells' growth and spread rates and assesses how much cancer cells differ from normal cells. The Gleason score ranges from 2-10; a higher score indicates more aggressive, faster-progressing cancer.

T staging is staging according to tumor size:

Stage T1-T2a: The tumor occupies less than half of one side of the prostate

Stage T2b: The tumor occupies more than half of one side of the prostate

Stage T2c: The tumor involves both prostate lobes

Stage T3 and above: The tumor has extended beyond the prostate capsule

In conclusion, it is extremely important for prostate cancer patients to learn their risk group with their physician's help so they can take a more active role both in treatment decisions and in following developments related to their disease.