ESMO Patients Guide
What is prostate cancer? Prostate cancer is a cancer that forms in the cells of the prostate gland. Most prostate cancers begin in the cells that line the prostate gland – these cancers are known as acinar adenocarcinomas. Many of these cancers grow extremely slowly and are not likely to spread, but some can grow more quickly.
Prostate cancer is often a slow-growing cancer with few symptoms
What are the different types of prostate cancer? There are five main categories of prostate cancer: • Acinar adenocarcinoma: This is the most common type of prostate cancer, accounting for around 90% of cases. Acinar adenocarcinoma develops in the outer gland cells of the prostate. • Ductal adenocarcinoma: This type of prostate cancer develops in the cells that line the ducts (or tubes) of the prostate gland. Ductal adenocarcinoma tends to grow more quickly than acinar adenocarcinoma. • Transitional cell (or urothelial) cancer: This cancer develops in the cells of the urethra. It typically begins in the bladder and spreads to the prostate, but rarely it can begin in the prostate and spread into the bladder and nearby tissues. • Squamous cell cancer: This type of cancer develops from flat cells that cover the prostate, and tends to grow more quickly than adenocarcinomas. • Small cell cancer: This is a type of neuroendocrine cancer made up of small round cells, which is also sometimes called oat cell cancer. Small cell prostate cancer is very rare, accounting for less than 2% of all cases of prostate cancer.
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