How to Understand Pathology Reports for Prostate Cancer

According to Medline Plus, prostate cancer is a disease resulting in symptoms such as impaired urinary flow, pain during urination or ejaculation, localized pain in the lower back, and minor urinary incontinence. If you have been diagnosed with (or suspect you have) prostate cancer, learning how to understand pathology reports can help to streamline the process so that you and your doctor are on the same page---enabling you to spend more time fighting cancer and less time listening to medical explanations.

Instructions

• 1

  Read the "T" category of the pathology report to learn how large the initial tumor has become. This will be marked on the report with the letter "T," followed by a number ranging from one to four. T1 indicates that the cancer is so small that it cannot be felt. T2 indicates that the tumor is noticeable during a rectal exam, but it is still affecting only the prostate gland. T3 indicates that the tumor is outside of the prostate, and may have spread to the seminal vessels. Finally, T4 indicates that the cancer is into the seminal vesicles and has also made it into other surrounding tissue (such as the rectum).

• 2

  Consult the "N" category to determine whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. This will be marked on the report with the letter "N," followed by either a zero or a one. If the report states "N0," this means that the cancer has not yet made it to regional lymph nodes. If the report states "N1," this means that the cancer has infected one or more of the surrounding lymph nodes in the area.

• 3

  Evaluate the "M" category to see whether the cancer has metastasized throughout the body. This is denoted with an "M" followed by a zero (no metastasis) or one (metastasis present). If the diagnosis is M1, it will then be followed by the lower-case letter "a," "b," or "c." An "a" indicates that the cancer has spread to distant lymph nodes; "b" indicates that the cancer has spread to the bones; and "c" indicates that the cancer has spread to other organs of the body.