What is a prostate cancer prognosis?
Once a doctor has analysed results from prostate tests such as a biopsy and PSA test, he will make a prognosis for prostate cancer. A prognosis is a prediction of how the cancer will develop and of how likely the person is to recover from the condition.
There are generally two major types of prostate cancer prognosis outcome; either the doctor expects the patient to respond well to treatment, or that they expect the treatment to be challenging. That said, as different people will respond differently to treatments, the prediction of the prostate prognosis is not set in stone.
How does a doctor make the prostate prognosis?
The doctor will have many things to draw upon when making the prostate cancer prognosis. Some of the factors will include your medical history, results of PSA tests, Gleason score, and the location and the volume of the tumour. The doctor will investigate reported outcomes of people with similar conditions as yourself, and come out with a prediction of how the cancer will affect you.
How will a prostate cancer prognosis be reported?
Results of a prognosis of prostate cancer are usually given in five and ten year survival terms (following the recommended treatment) for a person with your level of cancer. For example someone with an advanced prostate cancer prognosis form will likely have a lower percentage 5 year survival rate than someone with an earlier diagnosed condition.
Some people may decide that they would rather not know the results of the prostate prognosis, or may be confused to as what the results actually mean, especially if it turns out to not to be a metastatic prostate cancer prognosis; while others may not be able to settle their minds unless they know their expected survival outcome. If you are unsure of whether you want to know the results of your prognosis then don't be afraid to discuss this with your doctor.