New Prostate Cancer Grading System May Enhance Understanding

2024-04-19 07:35:44 Health and Fitness

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Founder of the renowned Prostate Seed Institute discusses the proposed changes.

Irving, TX, ? Patients who receive a positive diagnosis of prostate cancer may struggle to understand what their diagnosis really means under the current grading system. A new proposal, however, streamlines the process making it very clear which cancers are considered low risk and which ones are more serious.

?The current prostate cancer grading system has been in place for years, but it leaves a lot of room for patient and even doctor misunderstanding,? says Dr. Gregory Echt, founder and lead surgeon at the Prostate Seed Institute. ?The system at present is a bit confusing in the way it grades cancers, making it easy for patients to believe a low-grade form of the disease poses a greater threat and vice versa.?

The current grading system is based on the Gleason score. It has 25 different grading complications that are easy to mix up. A Gleason 3 + 4 score, for example, has a much better prognosis than a Gleason 4 + 3. Both cancers, however, are sometimes described as ?7?s? to patients.

The new proposal aims to grade prostate cancer on a five-point scale. A grade of one would be a form of prostate cancer with the most positive prognosis. A grade of 5 would be used to describe the most aggressive forms of the disease.

?It is simply imperative for men to understand the risks posed by their particular type of prostate cancer tumor,? says Dr. Echt. ?This information is critical to help guide them in making decisions about their treatment options.?
Just how soon the new scale might be adopted on a widespread basis across the U.S. remains unclear. Some American practitioners are already using it. The World Health Organization has also embraced the change because it helps clarify the severity of different forms of cancer.

About 180,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually. Men are urged to discuss their diagnosis at length with their doctors and understand the risks and potential benefits of any treatments recommended.

About The Prostate Seed Institute

The Prostate Seed Institute is one of the country?s leading pioneers in prostate cancer treatment including prostate seed implementation, a fast and painless procedure that effectively treats prostate cancer in its earliest stages. With a team of oncology experts and a state-of-the-art facility, the Prostate Seed Institute provides prostate cancer patients with the most comprehensive treatment available. To see the Procedure Comparison Chart and learn more about the Prostate Seed InstituteCLICK HERE.