What Causes Normal Cells To Become Cancerous?

It is not certain what causes normal prostate cells to become cancerous cells. Cancer cells are abnormally growing cells (i.e. growing too much, too fast). As cancer cells grow, they begin to differentiate into irregular, loosely packed cells that look less and less like the small, uniform, and tightly packed normal cells. This transition is graded using the Gleason Score. See yesterdays post for information about the Gleason Score and the doctor who developed it.

Monday I will begin a week long coverage of the different prostate cancer stages.

Have a good weekend.
Blessings,
Rick

Developer of Gleason Score Passes Away

Dr. Donald F. Gleason, the Minnesota pathologist who developed the Gleason score that is now used almost universally in the U.S. to predict the likely outcome of prostate cancer, passed away Dec. 28. He was 88.
Gleason was an unknown, junior pathologist at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center in 1962 when he was approached by the hospital's chief of urology to develop a standardized rating system for tumors. His scoring system was derived from looking at microscopic samples from the tumor and finding the two most common types of tissue in the tumor. Then, the pathologist would assign each a score from one to five depending on how closely the tissues resemble normal prostate cells. A score of one means they are very similar to normal cells, and a score of five means they look nothing like normal cells. The Gleason grades for the two samples are then combined to give a Gleason score between one and 10. The lower the score, the better the patient is likely to do. The higher the score, the potential for fatality is higher.
Although it took some time for the Gleason scale to be universally accepted, in 1987, seven of the leading authorities in urology and urological oncology sent a letter to the editor of the Journal of Urology urging that it be applied uniformly in all publications on prostate cancer. Their recommendation was adopted and the scale quickly came into wide use.
"His work is the gold standard for prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment selection," said Dr. Akhouri Sinha, a colleague of Gleason's at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Researchers have been trying for 40 years to develop a better system to replace it, he said, but without success.

Tomorrow I'll continue what I started earlier in the week.

Have a good Thursday.
Blessings,
Rick

Cancerous Prostate Cells

Cancer cells within the prostate have lost control and grow on top of each other, forming a tumor. These cancer cells can break away from the prostate and travel throughout the body, attach to other tissues and continue to grow. This process is called metastasis.

Tomorrow we'll talk about what causes normal cells to become cancerous.

Have a good Wednesday.
Blessings,
Rick

Normal Prostate Cells

Normal prostate cells within the prostate grow, divide, interact, and die to make sure the prostate functions properly. Cells within the prostate are held together tightly. When cells growing within the prostate bump into each other, they normally stop growing and die off to make room for new cells.

Tomorrow we'll talk a bit about cancerous prostate cells.


Enjoy this historic day.
Blessings,
Rick

Understanding Your Cancer

All this week I plan to cover several aspects of the prostate as well as prostate cancer.

Today I want to just define what the prostate gland is.

The prostate is a small gland located between the bladder and the bowel. The prostate is connected to the seminal vesicles, which produce fluid that mixes with prostatic fluid produced by the prostate to form semen, the substance that transports sperm. The prostate can be divided down the middle into left and right lobes, a distinction enhanced by a groove running down the rear surface.

Tomorrow, we'll talk about normal prostate cells.

Have a good Monday.
Celebrate this day being Martin Luther King Day.
Blessing,
Rick