When Is Prostate Cancer “Metastatic”?
When Is Prostate Cancer “Metastatic”? Monday November 16, 2009 Prostate cancer’s spread is often described inaccurately by those who have it themselves, their families, and even their doctors. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to accurately describe the extent of prostate cancer that has spread. Locally advanced prostate cancer is cancer that has grown through the wall or capsule of the prostate and invaded into the nearby normal tissues. Metastatic prostate cancer is cancer that has spread from the prostate into areas of the body distant from the prostate. For example, prostate cancer that has spread to the bones is called “metastatic prostate cancer”. That’s pretty much it. If the cancer has spread beyond the region immediately adjacent to the prostate, then it is no longer just “locally advanced” – it is now m
