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What Is Stage 4 Prostate Cancer
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What Is Stage 4 Prostate Cancer & Prognosis

What Is Stage 4 Prostate Cancer?  

The fourth stage of prostate cancer defines a tumor that has progressed to other regions of the body, such as the lymph nodes, lungs, liver, bones, or bladder. The 5-year survival rate for these tumors is 29 percent. 

Keep in mind that each case is unique, and figures like these are merely suggestions. As advances in prostate cancer treatment become more common, your odds of surviving this disease improve. 

In general, prostate cancer has a very good survival rate – one of the greatest of any cancer type. Because prostate cancer is frequently a slow-moving disease, the majority of men diagnosed with it will die from an unrelated reason. 

Stage 4 prostate cancer means the cancer has spread to lymph nodes or to other parts of the body. It is further divided into two substages: 

  • Prostate Cancer Stage 4A 
    Stage 4A: The cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes but may or may not have spread to nearby tissues. 
  • Prostate Cancer Stage 4B 
    Stage 4B: The cancer has spread to another area of the body, such as the bones or distant lymph nodes. 

What Are the Physical Symptoms of Stage 4 Prostate Cancer? 

Signs and symptoms of stage 4 prostate cancer may include: 

  • Painful urination 
  • Decreased force in the stream of urine 
  • Blood in the semen 
  • Bone pain 
  • Swelling in the legs 
  • Fatigue 

What Is the Survival Rate of Stage 4 Prostate Cancer?  

Doctors use the term stage to characterize the characteristics of the original tumor itself, such as its size and how far prostate cancer has spread when it is discovered, as they do with all malignancies. 

Staging systems are difficult to understand. Most malignancies, including prostate cancer, are staged using three different elements of tumor growth and dissemination. The TNM system stands for tumor, nodes, and metastasis: 

  • T, for tumor (which means a swelling, a growth or mass, and describes the cancer as found in its place of origin) describes the size of the main area of prostate cancer.   
  • N, for nodes, describes whether prostate cancer has spread to any lymph nodes, and how many and in what locations.  
  • M, for metastasis, means distant spread of prostate cancer, for example, to the bones or liver.  

The TNM approach allows each man’s prostate cancer to be characterized in depth and compared to the prostate cancers of other men. Doctors utilize this information to conduct research and make treatment decisions. 

However, in terms of prostate cancer survival statistics, the staging method is straightforward. As previously stated, males with prostate cancer can be split into two groups in terms of survival rates: 

  • Men with prostate cancer that is localized to the prostate or just nearby.  
  • Prostate cancer has a high long-term survival percentage in these men. Almost all men will live for more than five years after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, and many will live for much longer. 
  • Men whose prostate cancer has spread to distant areas, like their bones. 
  • These individuals may require more aggressive prostate cancer treatment. Only roughly one-third of these men will live for more than five years after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. 

What Is the Life Expectancy for Stage 4 Prostate Cancer? 

Prostate cancer life expectancy is determined using five-year survival rates. This is the percentage of people who may still be alive five years after being diagnosed. 

The five-year survival rate for men with localized prostate cancer, where there is no evidence of cancer spreading outside the prostate, and regional prostate cancer, when cancer has migrated outside the prostate to adjacent structures or lymph nodes exclusively, is approximately 100 percent. 

When prostate cancer reaches stage 4 and has spread (metastasized) to other organs such as the lungs, liver, or bones, the five-year survival rate falls below 30%. At stage 4, prostate cancer is unlikely to be cured, although with effective therapy, many people can live for several years. The patient’s life expectancy is determined by the precise characteristics of his cancer. 

However, thanks to routine screening procedures, prostate cancer is often discovered early, before it has spread to other organs, and it is usually not fatal. When diagnosed early, there are several treatment options available, as well as a good likelihood of a cure. 

Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Prognosis   

Doctors need to know how far the cancer has advanced, or its stage, in order to choose the best treatment. A pathologist, a specialist who specializes in studying cells obtained from a prostate biopsy, will provide two starting points: the cancer’s grade and Gleason score. 

  • Cancer grade: When the pathologist looks at prostate cancer cells, the most common type of cells will get a grade of 3 to 5. The area of cancer cells in the prostate will also be graded. The higher the grade, the more abnormal the cells. 
  • Gleason score: The two grades will be added together to get a Gleason score. This score tells doctors how likely the cancer is to grow and spread. 

After a biopsy reveals prostate cancer, the patient may be subjected to additional testing to determine whether the disease has spread to other regions of the body via the blood or lymph nodes. These are typically imaging examinations, such as a bone scan, positron emission tomography (PET) scan, or computed tomography (CT) scan. 

Stage 4 Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials   

Clinical trials provide cancer patients with life-extending and curative new medicines. Clinical drug trials are critical in getting new medicines to patients who need them the most, as well as securing data so that regulatory clearances may be secured, and new drugs can enter broad clinical practice. Patients who take part in clinical trials benefit both treatment science and their fellow patients. 

There are currently 100 Phase III drug trials and more than 500 Phase I/II trials related to prostate cancer treatment in progress in the United States alone. Those that are approved will join the 12 new drugs that have been approved for men with advanced/metastatic disease since 2010 and further improve outcomes for patients: 

Using our AI-powered approach, Massive Bio leads patients through the most extensive clinical trial matching process available. 

We can assist you if you have been diagnosed with any of the following prostate cancer subtypes: 

  • Adenocarcinoma 
  • Transitional Cell Carcinoma 
  • Small Cell Carcinoma 

If you do not know which type of prostate cancer you have, that is okay. Additional testing can help you determine your exact diagnosis. 

Sources: 

https://www.mayoclinic.org/

https://www.webmd.com/

https://www.pcf.org/

10 Comments

  • I’ve been recently diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer that has spread to lympnotes. I am presently getting radiation treatments at University of New Mexico.

    My radiation treatments end on August 10th 2022. I have been scheduled for another Pet/Bone Scan on July 22, 2022 at 7:30 AM followed by my 20 minutes radiation treatment at 11:AM on the same day.

    Is it safe to have the above two mentioned on the same day?

    • Cancer Treatment Expert says:

      Hi Eddie. A PET scan will not affect your radiation treatment. However, if you have further concerns, you may always speak to your doctor or the nurse assigned to you during your appointment regarding these concerns and they would be happy to address it before you get started.

  • Patsy says:

    My husband was diagnosed with stage 4, Gleason score 9, prostate cancer which had metastasized to lymph nodes when he was 59 years old. He received 9 weeks of radiation and 3 years of hormone injections. He is now 69 years old and doing just fine. Does this mean he has beat cancer?

    • Cancer Treatment Expert says:

      Hi Patsy,

      First of all, I am very glad that your wife is doing well. For information on the subject, you can call our number +1 844 627 7246.

  • Olagboju solomon says:

    My elder brother was diagnosed with prostate cancer stage 4, Gleason 8 which had spread to the bone in the month of March 2020,, he did orchiectomy in June, same year because there was no hormone injection in that Hospital. He has been taking different supplement after the operation. Now he’s having bone pains in the waist, arm and tight, what should we do to save his life. I’m a Nigerian , living in a small village in the North Central.

  • Brian Roberts says:

    Originally diagnosed with Prostate in 2007. Treatment with Hormones and radiation. Slowly my PSA rose from 0.08 to between 9.5 and 10. Then it started to climb very eradically to 17. at that time I had a ct scan which showed involvement in pelvic lymph nodes and a bone scan which showed no metastasis. I am presently on zoladex every 12 weeks and apalutamide 240mg daily. My PSA has dropped 17 to 0.17 in 4 months. will this effect the prognosis. Also my PSA was eradic after taking the covid vaccines. Is there any link.

  • Monishaa Prabhakar says:

    Hi, my dad is been diagnosed with Stage 4B prostrate cancer with a Gleason score of 8 (4+4). It’s adenocarcinoma with metasis. The cancer has spread to lymph nodes and a small nodule in his right lung with PCMA agents in shoulder lesions and vertebrae v1.
    What would be the prognosis for him to increase his life expectancy? He is 59 now and have diabetes. Else he is fit.

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