Overview of Azure (High-Risk) Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Staging Guide

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07/07/23

PCRI’s Executive Director, Mark Scholz, MD, gives an overview of Azure Stage prostate cancer, also known as newly diagnosed High-risk disease. He covers the treatment options and characterizes this stage relative to other stages of prostate cancer.

0:30 The term “High-risk” prostate cancer can be misleading, since it implies a high risk of mortality. The reality is this term doesn’t refer to mortality, but to disease relapse. 15 year mortality rates for Azure (High-risk) can range from 3-15%. But even then, this statistic is based on the use of older treatments. Since then, treatment for prostate cancer has advanced immensely. And with prostate cancer.

1:35 The main issue to think about when talking about high-risk disease is the possibility of cancer spread outside the prostate. There are two types of metastatic disease, one where metastases are detectable on a scan. Things like “seminal vesicle invasion” or enlarged lymph nodes are unequivocal spread outside the gland. But another type of metastases, are “micro-metastases” or small metastases that are not detectable by imaging. You can determine the possibility of micro-metastases by considering the PSA, Gleason score, Clinical stage, etc.

2:40 The subtypes of Azure. There are three subtypes of high-risk disease. PCRI calls them Low-Azure, Basic-Azure, and High-Azure. Each subtype is quite distinct from the others. The treatment varies notably depending on which subtype the patient has.

3:14 Treatments for Azure. Surgery shows low cure rates for this stage of prostate cancer. This is demonstrated by a study done at John’s Hopkins evaluating 9300 men undergoing radical prostatectomy with high-risk disease. 80% of the men relapsed within 15 years. Approaches using beam radiation, seed implants, and hormone therapy show cure rates up to 85%.

4:40 Summary. Get appropriate staging done, determine whether or not there is detectable disease outside the prostate, find your subtype, and avoid surgery in favor of a combination approach.

Don’t know your stage? Take the quiz: Visit http://www.prostatecancerstaging.org

To learn more about prostate cancer visit http://www.pcri.org

To download the free Staging Guide visit http://www.pcri.org/prostate-cancer-staging
Who we are:

The Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to helping you research your treatment options. We understand that you have many questions, and we can help you find the answers that are specific to your case. All of our resources are designed by a multidisciplinary team of advocates and expert physicians, for patients. We believe that by educating yourself about the disease, you will have more productive interactions with your medical professionals and receive better-individualized care. Feel free to explore our website or call our free helpline at 1 (800) 641-7274 with any questions that you have. Our Federal Tax ID # is 95-4617875 and qualifies for maximum charitable gift deductions by individual donors.

The information on the Prostate Cancer Research Institute's YouTube channel is provided with the understanding that the Institute is not engaged in rendering medical advice or recommendation. The information provided in these videos should not replace consultations with qualified health care professionals to meet your individual medical needs.

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