Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Grade of Prostate Cancer
The grade of prostate cancer refers to how the cancer cells look under a microscope. Finding out what grade your cancer is helps you and your doctor choose the best way to treat it.
Prostate cancer cells are either well-differentiated, moderately differentiated, or poorly differentiated. Differentiation is a term that is used to describe how different the cancer cells look from normal cells under a microscope. Well-differentiated cancers have very clear boundaries and cells that look relatively normal. They usually do not grow and spread rapidly. Poorly differentiated cancers have less clearly defined boundaries. The cancer cells look very abnormal. They often grow and spread rapidly.
After your cancer has been looked at under a microscope, your doctor can tell you what grade your cancer is.
Gleason score
Prostate cancer is often graded using the Gleason score, on a scale of 2 to 10. The Gleason score is thought to be a powerful tool for predicting how aggressive a tumor will be. The higher the Gleason score, the more likely the tumor is to grow rapidly and spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body.
- A Gleason score of 2 to 6 means well-differentiated tumors with cells that are expected to grow slowly and not spread readily.
- A Gleason score of 7 means moderately differentiated tumor cells.
- A Gleason score of 8 to 10 means poorly differentiated tumors with cells that are likely to grow rapidly and spread to other parts of the body.
Rarely, the following system is used to grade cancer:
- GX: Grade cannot be determined
- G1: Well-formed, normal cells (Gleason score 2 to 4)
- G2: Mostly normal cells (Gleason score 5 to 7)
- G3: Poorly formed cells with many traits of cancer cells (Gleason score 8 to 10)
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: June 21, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine J. Curtis Nickel, MD, FRCSC - Urology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network