Can prostate cancer be detected by color ultrasound?

Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
Updated on April 14, 2025
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Ultrasound is also a method for screening prostate cancer, but it is generally combined with Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) for a comprehensive consideration in prostate cancer screening. If prostate nodules are found during a prostate color Doppler ultrasound, the differentiation between prostate cancer and benign prostatic nodules can be aided by the variations in internal echoes, but this is only a reference and cannot be 100% certain. Thus, in clinical practice, it is also combined with PSA for a comprehensive evaluation. Generally, a PSA greater than 10 suggests a higher likelihood of malignancy. The diagnosis of prostate cancer requires a biopsy to confirm the pathology.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Typical symptoms of prostate cancer

Early-stage prostate patients often do not exhibit significant clinical symptoms. However, when the prostate cancer tumor invades the surrounding tissues and structures, it can cause corresponding clinical manifestations such as urinary tract irritation and urinary obstruction. Symptoms include difficulty urinating or frequent urination, painful urination, and even urinary incontinence, perineal pain, and sciatica. Bone metastasis is a common site of metastasis in prostate cancer patients, causing pain in the affected area and even pathological fractures.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Is prostate cancer prone to metastasis?

Prostate cancer most commonly metastasizes to bones, with multiple bone metastases frequently observed clinically. In fact, the majority of prostate cancer patients already have multiple bone metastases by the time they are diagnosed. Therefore, bone is the most common distant organ to which prostate cancer spreads. Other distant organ metastases, such as to the lungs and liver, are less common, unless in very advanced stages of the disease. Additionally, prostate cancer commonly invades locally, spreading to nearby pelvic structures and tissues, such as the bladder and rectum, which is a common form of local invasion and spread.

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Written by Zhou Zi Hua
Oncology
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What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

Early-stage prostate cancer generally has no symptoms, but if the patient also has prostate enlargement, or in cases of mid to late-stage prostate cancer where the tumor invades the urethra or bladder, various degrees of urinary obstruction or irritative urinary symptoms may occur. This is characterized by frequent urination and urgency. If there are local infiltrative symptoms, perineal pain and sciatica might occur. If the vas deferens is compressed, it can cause back pain and pain in the testicles on the affected side. Invasion of the rectum can cause difficulty in defecation or obstruction of the colon, and if the membranous part of the urethra is involved, urinary incontinence may occur. The most common site of metastasis for prostate cancer is the bones. If it spreads to the bones, it can cause bone pain, pathological fractures, anemia, and spinal cord compression leading to paralysis of the lower limbs.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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Can prostate cancer be cured?

Prostate cancer, whether it can be cured or not, depends on the specific analysis of the patient with prostate cancer. If it is an early-stage patient, meaning there is no metastasis to distant organs, and it is assessed that radical surgery or radical radiotherapy can be performed, then these early-stage prostate cancer patients still have the hope of being cured through these treatment methods. However, for patients with advanced prostate cancer, such as those who are diagnosed with multiple bone metastases at the onset—a very common clinical occurrence, prostate cancer combined with bone metastasis is very common—these advanced-stage prostate cancer patients cannot be cured through treatment. The purpose of treatment is to alleviate the patient's pain and extend the patient's survival, but these advanced-stage patients cannot be cured.

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Written by Liu Liang
Oncology
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How is prostate cancer treated?

The treatment principles of prostate cancer vary with different stages. For clinical stage T1-T2N0M0 prostate cancer, which is early-stage, patients can choose radical prostatectomy or radical radiotherapy. For patients with locally advanced prostate cancer, specifically staged T3 or T4 but without lymph node or distant metastasis, options include radiotherapy combined with hormonal therapy or solely hormonal therapy. For patients with distant metastasis, which indicates advanced-stage prostate cancer, treatment primarily involves hormonal therapy. If hormonal therapy fails, chemotherapy may be utilized. Additionally, for pain caused by bone metastasis, local radiotherapy or radionuclide therapy can be integrated into the comprehensive treatment approach.