When Is Prostate Cancer Really Cancer?

A group of 50 experts in prostate cancer, representing numerous specialty areas, met recently to address whether low-grade prostate neoplasia (Gleason 6 or Grade Group 1 [GG1]) should be called “cancer” (J Natl Cancer Inst 2025; 117:402). The participants didn't come to final conclusions, but their deliberations, including 36 commissioned presentations and discussions, should interest both specialists and primary care clinicians.

Prostate cancer is graded histologically by pathologists on a scale of 1 to 5 (from no to highly cancerous features). The scores of the primary histologic pattern and the most common secondary pattern are added together. Prostate cancer is not diagnosed when this score is ≤5, so the range of scores for a lesion labe…