This microscope image provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1974 shows changes in cells that indicate prostate adenocarcinoma
A cancer diagnosis is scary
Cancer cells grow in nearly all prostates as men age, and most prostate cancers are harmless
The name change could allow more low-risk patients to skip unnecessary surgery and radiation
"This is the least aggressive, mildest type of prostate cancer that causes no symptoms and doesn't spread to other parts of the body," said Dr.
Egner wrote Monday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that the phrase "you have cancer" has profound implications for patients
Others agree
Diagnosis sometimes begins with a PSA blood test
When a patient has questionable test results, doctors may recommend a biopsy, which is a tissue sample taken from the prostate
Typically, doctors give patients a minimum Gleason score of 6 — a way to avoid surgery and radiation: active surveillance, which includes close monitoring, but no immediate treatment
In the United States, about 60% of low-risk patients opt for active surveillance
"I would be ecstatic if people could give Gleason's a new name," Penson said.
But Dr.
Previously, the names of patients with low-risk cancers such as bladder, cervical and thyroid cancers have also changed
In prostate cancer, the Gleason scoring system in the 1960s has changed, with 6 being the lowest score
What to use instead of cancer? Recommendations include IDLE for indolent lesions of epithelial origin, or INERRT for indolent tumors that rarely require treatment
"I don't really care what it's called, as long as it's not called cancer," Egner said
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Steve Reinkes, a 72-year-old civil engineer, was diagnosed with Gleason 6-point prostate cancer in 2014
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He opted for active surveillance, and follow-up biopsies in 2017 and 2021 found no evidence of cancer
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Calling it something else can help patients make informed choices, but it's not enough: Patients need to ask questions until they feel confident, Lynx said
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"It's about understanding risk," Reenkes said
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"I would encourage my fellow males to teach themselves and get more medical advice
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