Step 3 – Newly Diagnosed (Find Your Risk Category)
Overwhelmed?
Take a break. Start researching again later. Remember that most prostate cancers are slow growing enough that you can take the time you really need to research for yourself. The research is a process, and your brain often needs a break. Put it down, and pick it up again later.
Take a break. Start researching again later. Remember that most prostate cancers are slow growing enough that you can take the time you really need to research for yourself. The research is a process, and your brain often needs a break. Put it down, and pick it up again later.

Every Prostate Cancer is DIFFERENT.
What’s Yours?
Use your
- Gleason Score (use the highest one, if there is more than one Gleason)
- Clinical Stage from DRE
- PSA before biopsy
Also, are there any cancerous cores that are greater than 50% cancerous?
Now, use the info above ↑ to find your 3 different Risk Categories (below ↓).
D’Amico Risk Categories Are you? –
- Low Risk
(If you are Low Risk, consider additional pathology testing with Oncotype DX, Prolaris, or Decipher ) - Intermediate Risk
(If you are Intermediate Risk, ASK if you are a candidate for additional pathology testing
with Oncotype DX, Prolaris, or Decipher ) - High Risk
- Calculate your Score
NCCN Risk Categories (See Pages 7-11 of document – requires free registration)
Are you? –
- Very Low Risk
- Low Risk
- Intermediate Risk
- High Risk
- Very High Risk
Risk of What?…
- The D’Amico Risk Categories tell you your risk of PSA recurrence
5 years after surgery or radiation.
- The NCCN Risk Categories tell you the same – your risk of PSA recurrence
5 years after surgery or radiation.
- The CAPRA Score tell you something different –
your probability of Progression Free Survival (PFS) at 10 years.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
PFS is the length of time a prostate cancer patient lives, but his cancer
doesn’t get worse or “progress”. (paraphrased from NCI)