Prostate Cancer

Types

There are several types of prostate cancer, including:

• Adenocarcinoma. The most common type of prostate cancer is adenocarcinoma (ad-uh-no-kahr-si-NO-muh). This cancer is generally slow growing, but still has the potential to spread beyond the prostate to other areas, including lymph nodes, bones and other organs.
• Small cell carcinoma. This rare, aggressive prostate cancer initially forms in specialized cells within the prostate. This type of cancer generally doesn't increase prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and is harder to detect in its early stages. More advanced cases of small cell carcinoma can be difficult to treat.
• Rarer prostate cancer. There are also other, rarer types of prostate cancer. Because of the large volume of men with prostate cancer who come to Mayo Clinic for treatment, Mayo surgeons, oncologists and other specialists have experience diagnosing and treating all types of prostate cancer, including the rarer forms.