What is a Gleason Score?
If prostate cancer is diagnosed, it is graded with the Gleason System. This system assigns a Gleason grade between 1 and 5 which indicates the aggressiveness of the cancer. The score helps doctors determine the degree to which the cancer may have spread outside the prostate and can influence treatment recommendation. Since prostate cancer often has areas with different grades, a grade is assigned to the two areas that make up most of the cancer and these two grades are added together for a score between 2 and 10. Scores of 2 through 4 are generally considered low, 5 and 6 are lower than average, 7 is intermediate and the most common, and scores of 8-10 are deemed high. A high Gleason Score coupled with a high PSA makes it likely that the cancer has extended outside the prostate gland, which has important implications for both treatment and prognosis.
