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What the Gleason Score Tells You

The Gleason Score is an important prostate cancer diagnostic tool. It gives you an idea of your prognosis. Then too understanding it helps you make an informed decision when it comes to selecting the best treatment options in your situation.

Developed by pathologist Donald Gleason, the Gleason score helps to evaluate the stage of cancer and predict probable responses to treatment, long term results to treatment, and odds of survival. And it's not as grim as it may sound.

Gleason Scores Defined: A means of scoring or measuring the aggressiveness of prostate cancer determined from tissue samples taken during a biopsy. It's a visual interpretation used to help predict the future course of the cancer.

As you'd expect cancerous cells found within the prostate will be at different stages of development. Some may be growing aggressively. Others may exhibit few signs of change.

Also as suggested by the definition, visually examining slices of the tissue from a biopsy under the microscope helps to gauge the rate at which these cells are changing and/or developing.

But looking at the prostate tissue samples, a pathologist assigns a Gleason grade in the range of 1-5 to the most common tumor pattern and a second grade to the next common pattern. This is known as the primary and secondary grades. The more distorted the cells look compared to normal tissue the higher the score will be.

A Gleason score then is the sum of these two grades which helps determine how aggressive the cancer is. It can fall anywhere between 2-10. A score of two would be taken as almost normal. While a 10 would suggest cancer that is wildly and aggressively malignant. Obviously the lower the score the better it is for you.

Interpretation of Gleason Score:

• A Gleason score between 2-4 means a low grade cancer with any cancer cells similar in appearance to the healthy cells of the prostate. This would suggest a non aggressive cancer that does not demand immediate treatment. Especially if you're older.

• A score of 5-6 signifies straddles the border between low and high grade aggressive. A score of less than 6 only says that the cancer is less likely to spread to other parts of the body. Still it is thought that even at this level, maybe 85% or so of those with this score have want could be termed "insignificant" prostate cancer.

• A score of 7 and above predicts intermediate stages of cancer but more than that may indicate highly aggressive forms of cancer that is likely to spread beyond the gland itself.

So if you find yourself facing a high confirming PSA reading then you likely do not want to delay getting a biopsy. From that tissue your Gleason score will be gleaned. Once armed with those results you and your doctor have what is needed to begin to better evaluate which treatment option, if any, is best in your situation.