WHAT IS A GLEASON SCORE AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
The Gleason grading system is used to describe the cancerous prostate tissue removed during the biopsy. This tissue is examined by a pathologist under a microscope and compared to normal prostate tissue. Gleason grades are given to the two most commonly occurring cell patterns. The scores are then added together to derive a number between 2-10. Clinicians agree that the higher your Gleason score the more likely that your cancer will spread or has already spread beyond the prostate. Thus, it is essential that a newly diagnosed man get an accurate Gleason grade before making any treatment decisions. There is some subjectivity in deriving Gleason scores. Our experience indicates that pathologists at large medical centers are the most accurate at grading prostate tissue samples. Make sure your urologist saves a sample of your prostate tissue for a possible second (or third) opinion.
