Stages, types and grades of prostate cancer
The Grade Group is the most common system doctors use to grade prostate cancer. It has replaced the Gleason score.
The grade of a cancer tells you how much the cancer cells look like normal cells. This gives your doctor an idea of:
how aggressive the cancer is
how it might behave
whether you need treatment
To find out the Grade Group, a looks at several samples of cells from your prostate. These are called biopsies.
Read about having a biopsy and other tests you might have to diagnose prostate cancer
Last reviewed: 21 May 2025
Next review due: 21 May 2028
The TNM staging is a way of describing how far prostate cancer has grown. It stands for Tumour, Node, Metastasis.
Doctors group prostate cancer into risk groups. In the UK, they now use the Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) system that divides prostate cancer into 5 risk groups.
Localised prostate cancer is cancer that is completely inside the prostate gland.
Locally advanced prostate cancer means the cancer has broken through the capsule (covering) of the prostate gland.
You may have a choice of treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy. Or your doctor might suggest that they monitor your cancer instead of treatment straight away.
Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is found at the base of the bladder and is about the size of a walnut.
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