As the medical definition says, cancer is an abnormal condition that occurs or develops when the apoptotic reaction or the death of the body cells in normal circumstances and the mitosis or the process when each cell splits into two others stops functioning properly; the cancerous cells soon start their multiplication and growth into malignant and primary tumors.

These tumors, without any treatment to stop their spreading, will invade the surrounding areas and tissues of the infected organ, until they eventually reach to far distanced parts of the body. The spreading process, depending on each type of cancer, is done through the bloodstream and lymph system.

These general features apply to all types of cancer, including the prostate cancer.

The prostate is a male-specific gland, localized near the bladder and urethra, and is responsible with the storing and the making of the semen.

Because of a decrease in the level of testosterone, the male-specific hormone, all men will report after the age of forty some changes caused by hormonal problems; this is the aging stage known as “male menopause” or “andropause” and any hormonal unbalances may lead to certain prostate diseases or disorders such as cancer or even benign hyperplasia prostate, simply described as the enlargement of the prostate.

The prostate cancer has no early symptoms, but when they do appear that only means that the cancer begun its spreading to localized regions, especially to organs and tissues surrounding the prostate. The common reported symptoms are the following: frequent urination or weak urine stream, bone pain, because cancer has a predilection of affecting gravely the bone system, leg and pelvis pain, compression of the spine, prostate-related urinary dribbling, burning or pain while urinating, bacterial prostatitis, prostatitis, abdomen and chest pain, blood in urine or semen, urine odor, prostate blockage, prostate inflammation, etc.

Usually, in the early stages the primary tumor is confined in the gland, but if the cancer cells escape from the prostate capsule and enter the bloodstream or lymph fluid, the spreading can only be delayed or stopped with a proper treatment. Depending on the unique characteristics of each patient’s organism, the treatment may be effective and even cure the cancer but in some cases the cancer will advance gradually until it becomes locally advanced or metastatic in the end stages.

In some unfortunate cases the cancer can come back in more aggressive forms such as metastases or two or more metastatic tumors in various regions of the body; the spreading can be so complex sometimes that physicians find it hard to identify the primary stage of the tumor so they have to refer to this type of cancer as cancer of unknown primary.

There is always a possibility of cancer recurrence, so even after the safe period of five years after the initial treatment, doctors can’t say with certainty that the cancer is cured.

In normal conditions, a tumor can double its size once every four years so all men will get to live for at least five years after the initial diagnose but the spreading tends to fasten when the primary tumor made possible the apparition of other small and secondary tumors to far distanced parts of the internal body, sometimes affecting or invading the vital organs such as the liver, the lungs and even the brain.

According to certain surveys, each year around the world, one of six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Because it is a common disease, doctors recommend the routinely screening tests to identify any early signs of cancer.

The prostate biopsy and the new prostate mapping are the two methods of detection used in obtaining an accurate diagnose; if cancer is detected the immediate step will be to grade and stage the cancer.

The Gleason sum is one and the same with the Gleason score, which is the sum of the primary grade or the majority of tumor and the secondary grade or minority of tumor; these two are different from the Gleason Grade, and their numbers range from two to ten, and the higher the number, the more aggressive the tumor is.

According to the Gleason scale: scores from two to four indicates a slow growing tumor, scores from five to six indicate an intermediate aggressiveness of the tumor, while scores from seven to ten indicate the rapid growth of the malignant tumor. The mortality grades depend on these scores; just the same as with the mortality stage.