Advanced Prostate Cancer

Advanced prostate cancer is cancer that has spread beyond the prostate. Facing advanced, or metastatic, prostate cancer can be scary. Learn more and find support.

Darik Pearson

Understanding advanced prostate cancer

Advanced prostate cancer is cancer that has spread beyond the prostate. It may also be called Stage III or Stage IV prostate cancer. It can be overwhelming to hear that you or a loved one has advanced prostate cancer. Find out as much information as you can about your cancer so you feel empowered to make the right decisions.

The different stages of advanced prostate cancer include:

  • Locally advanced: Cancer has spread beyond the outer layer of the prostate into nearby tissues, such as nearby lymph glands or the seminal vesicles. Locally advanced prostate cancer is referred to as Stage III and is considered non-metastatic.
  • Metastatic: Cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the bones, lungs, or liver. This is also referred to as Stage IV prostate cancer.

It is also important to understand if your locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer is responding to hormone therapy. Your prostate cancer may further be defined as:

  • Non-metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (nmCSPC): Prostate cancer that still responds to hormone therapy and there is no detectable metastases - spread of cancer - upon imaging. It may also be referred to as nmHSPC, or non-metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer.
  • Metastatic castration-sensitive prostate cancer (mCSPC): Prostate cancer that still responds to hormone therapy but has advanced to metastatic stage. It is also referred to as metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC).
  • Non-metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC): Prostate cancer that has stopped responding to hormone therapy and there is no detectable metastases upon imaging.
  • Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC): Prostate cancer that has stopped responding to hormone therapy and has advanced to metastatic stage.

While there is no cure for metastatic prostate cancer, there is hope to manage the disease effectively through new treatments. These new treatment options can help slow the disease progression and give you more time to live your best life.

The importance of imaging for advanced prostate cancer

Imaging has long been important in determining whether prostate cancer has spread. The discovery of new imaging techniques and agents, such as the PSMA PET scan, make it easier to see prostate cancer cells - even in small amounts - that have traveled outside the prostate to other places in the body. These advances are improving:

  • How a patient’s prognosis, or outcome, is determined.
  • Understanding if a treatment is working.
  • How treatment decisions are made.

Learn more about how imaging can provide more information for you and your doctor.

ZERO Champion Darrell Wilson standing in front of greenery

Meet Darrell Wilson, an advanced prostate cancer patient

As an advanced prostate cancer patient, Darrell Wilson knows firsthand that knowledge is power. There are many treatment options available to fight prostate cancer, and it’s important that patients and their caregivers understand the options, including the new ones coming down the pipe. As Darrell shares, that’s what gives him hope.

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A A portrait of Euvon Jones, a prostate cancer patient, and his wife, Janet, who serves as his caregiver.

Want help finding the best treatment for you?

Use our Interactive Decision Support Tool, developed in partnership with Clinical Care Options! This tool provides you with expert guidance on treatment options for advanced prostate cancer, based on characteristics you enter. Discover what’s available so you can work with your care team to make the right choices together. 

Additional resources related to advanced prostate cancer

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