Words to know: Prostate cancer
- Prostate
- A small gland below the bladder that helps make semen.
- PSA (prostate-specific antigen)
- A protein made by the prostate that can be measured in the blood.
- Biopsy
- Taking a small piece of tissue to look at under a microscope.
- Gleason score
- A number, usually 6 to 10, that shows how abnormal the cancer cells look.
- Grade Group
- A simpler 1 to 5 scale based on the Gleason score. Higher means more aggressive.
- Localized
- Cancer that has not spread beyond the prostate area.
- Metastatic
- Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, such as bones or distant lymph nodes.
- Active surveillance
- Closely watching low-risk cancer with regular tests and treating only if it grows.
- Watchful waiting
- Less intense monitoring, with treatment aimed at symptoms if they happen.
- Radical prostatectomy
- Surgery to remove the whole prostate.
- Brachytherapy
- Radiation given by placing small radioactive seeds inside the prostate.
- Androgen
- A male hormone, such as testosterone.
- ADT (androgen deprivation therapy)
- Hormone therapy that lowers testosterone to slow prostate cancer.
- ARPI
- A newer hormone pill that blocks how testosterone works in cancer cells.
- Biochemical recurrence
- A rising PSA after surgery or radiation, without cancer seen on scans.
- PSA doubling time
- How long it takes the PSA level to double. A shorter time means faster growth.
- Hormone-sensitive (castration-sensitive)
- Cancer that still shrinks or slows when testosterone is lowered.
- Castration-resistant
- Cancer that grows even though testosterone is very low.
- PSMA
- A protein on most prostate cancer cells that scans and some treatments can target.
- PET scan
- A scan that uses a small amount of tracer to show where cancer cells are active.
- PARP inhibitor
- A pill that blocks cancer cells from fixing their DNA. It works best with BRCA changes.
- Germline
- Gene changes you were born with that can run in families.
- Radioligand therapy
- A medicine that carries radiation straight to cancer cells.
- Incontinence
- Leaking urine or stool that you cannot control.
- Clinical trial
- A research study that tests new treatments in people.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.