Prostate cancer is generally multifocal and consists of a dominant focus-measured by tumour volume and deemed the index lesion-and one or more separate, secondary tumour foci of smaller volume.
Much laboratory and clinical evidence has shown that we need to rethink how we regard low-grade and low-volume prostate lesions. In this Personal View, we discuss why small, low-grade Gleason pattern prostate lesions, which are currently designated as prostate cancer, could be regarded as non-malignant. These lesions either do not meet the criteria of the hallmarks of cancer or robust evidence that they do so is absent, by contrast with large lesions with a high Gleason grade, which seem to cause most metastatic disease.
Written by:
Ahmed HU, Arya M, Freeman A, Emberton M. Are you the author?
Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK; Department of Urology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Reference: Lancet Oncol. 2012 Nov;13(11):e509-17.
doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(12)70388-1
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23117005
UroToday.com Prostate Cancer Section
