Prostate cancer – information about the disease, diagnosis and treatment
Learn about prostate cancer: how the disease behaves, how the diagnosis is made and what you should know about the limitations of Gleason grading.
Free digital meeting. You decide whether to go ahead.
Prostate cancer often causes worry, but most forms are slow-growing. Many men live for a long time with their disease without it giving them any problems, while others need to be treated relatively quickly. Here you will find the basics about the disease, how the investigation is carried out and what you should know ahead of a treatment decision.
From test result to decision
For most men it starts with a PSA test. A raised level is not a cancer diagnosis – both infection and benign prostate enlargement raise the level – but it leads on to an investigation with a urologist, usually with an MRI scan as the first step and then a tissue sample if the picture gives reason for it.
The tissue samples are then examined by a pathologist, who assesses how aggressive the cancer appears to be. It is that assessment which determines what is recommended: active surveillance, surgery or radiotherapy. The grading is based on the Gleason method, an analysis method from the 1960s that rests on a single doctor's interpretation of tissue images. Two pathologists can arrive at different answers on the same sample, and the uncertainty is greatest in borderline cases.
That is why the pages here are written the way they are: the better you understand what each number in your result means, the easier it becomes to ask your doctor the right questions.
The pages in this section
- How common the disease is, which risk factors exist and why most forms are slow-growing About the disease
- What the blood test measures, who should take it and what happens afterwards PSA test
- Which thresholds apply at different ages and why the size of the prostate matters PSA levels
- The investigation step by step: PSA test, MRI scan, tissue sample and the pathologist's assessment Making a diagnosis
- Why two pathologists can arrive at different answers on the same tissue sample Limitations of the Gleason method
- What the two paths mean in practice and what the choice between them depends on Surveillance vs. surgery
- Answers to the questions we are asked most often about diagnosis, analysis and second opinions Common questions
When the diagnosis needs to be confirmed
If you have already received a biopsy result and are unsure what it actually means, an independent analysis can give a more secure basis for the decision What is a second opinion?. The analysis is carried out on the tissue samples that have already been taken, so no new biopsy is needed, and it gives a reproducible index instead of yet another subjective assessment PCAI.
You make the decision together with your doctor. What we can contribute is a more secure basis on which to make it.
Everything under About prostate cancer
- About the diseaseProstate cancer is the most common cancer among men in Sweden. Read about the disease, its risk factors and why the diagnosis matters so much.
- Making a diagnosisWhat do ISUP grade 2, PI-RADS 5 and the Gleason score mean in your result? How the investigation works, step by step, and what each number means.
- Limitations of the Gleason methodUp to 20% of prostate cancer assessments may be incorrect. Read about why Gleason grading has limitations and what that can mean for your decision.
- Surveillance vs. surgeryShould you have surgery or wait? Read about the risks of prostatectomy, what active surveillance involves and why diagnostic precision matters.
- PSA testThe PSA test is a simple blood test that can detect prostate cancer early. Read about who should be tested, what the test shows and what happens next.
- PSA levelsWhat is a normal PSA level? The threshold depends on your age and the size of the prostate. Read what the level means and when investigation follows.
- Common questionsAnswers to the most common questions: Can prostate cancer be misdiagnosed? Can I get a second opinion without my urologist knowing? Do I need new samples?
It is wise to find out more
Would you like to know what an independent analysis would mean in your case? The initial meeting is free of charge. If you feel afterwards that this is right for you, you can simply order a second opinion.