Originally Posted by: Online Community Memberhi barbara and welcome. Who would have thought in a million years we would be here. It does get a bit easier when you get over the shock and actually know what you’re dealing with and I’m hoping once treatment starts things will get even better. My other half has since had his first hormone therapy injection and yesterday we had counselling which tbh don’t really think helped. We were told we need counselling separately which I don’t understand coz I’m just going with my OH for support and it’s not about me. We also have our first consultation with the oncologist on the 17th October to discuss chemotherapy but unsure yet when that will start.
I just wonder if alan or anybody would know about the different stages of cancer. My OH was originally told he was stage 3 but that was when they knew it had spread from the prostate to the pelvic bone but after the bone scan when they found it had spread to the lumber region of his spine and the chest bone (just hot spots). He is now convinced he is stage 4 and keeps saying there isn’t a stage 5 😢
Also my OH is concerned the hormone therapy may not be working. How will he know? He thought his libodo would drop (well that’s what we were told). It’s a bit embarrassing but he still manages to get an erection but doesn’t climax fully but he said it still feels like he has. Does that mean his still producing testosterone?
This will explain the T grades;
One tool that doctors use to describe the stage is the TNM system. Doctors use the results from diagnostic tests and scans to answer these questions:
Tumor (T): How large is the primary tumor? Where is it located?
Node (N): Has the tumor spread to the lymph nodes? If so, where and how many?
Metastasis (M): Has the cancer metastasized to other parts of the body? If so, where and how much?
The results are combined to determine the stage of cancer for each person. There are 5 stages: stage 0 (zero) and stages I through IV (1 through 4). The stage provides a common way of describing the cancer, so doctors can work together to plan the best treatments.
Here are more details about each part of the TNM system for prostate cancer.
Tumor (T)
Using the TNM system, the "T" plus a letter or number (0 to 4) is used to describe the size and location of the tumor. Some stages are also divided into smaller groups that help describe the tumor in even more detail. Specific tumor stage information is listed below. If the tumor is staged clinically, it is often written as cT. If pathologic staging is used, it is written as pT.
Clinical T
TX: The primary tumor cannot be evaluated.
T0 (T plus zero): There is no evidence of a tumor in the prostate.
T1: The tumor cannot be felt during a DRE and is not seen during imaging tests. It may be found when surgery is done for another reason, usually for BPH or an abnormal growth of noncancerous prostate cells.
T1a: The tumor is in 5% or less of the prostate tissue removed during surgery.
T1b: The tumor is in more than 5% of the prostate tissue removed during surgery.
T1c: The tumor is found during a needle biopsy, usually because the patient has an elevated PSA level.
T2: The tumor is found only in the prostate, not other parts of the body. It is large enough to be felt during a DRE.
T2a: The tumor involves one-half of 1 side of the prostate.
T2b: The tumor involves more than one-half of 1 side of the prostate but not both sides.
T2c: The tumor has grown into both sides of the prostate.
T3: The tumor has grown through the prostate on 1 side and into the tissue just outside the prostate.
T3a: The tumor has grown through the prostate either on 1 or both sides of the prostate. This called extraprostatic extension (EPE).
T3b: The tumor has grown into the seminal vesicle(s), the tube(s) that carry semen.
T4: The tumor is fixed, or it is growing into nearby structures other than the seminal vesicles, such as the external sphincter, the part of the muscle layer that helps to control urination; the rectum; the bladder; levator muscles; or the pelvic wall.