HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Focal Involvement - Help

Support Forums
>
Prostate Cancer
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 3/6/2009 8:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Guys, Anybody heard of "focal Involvement" when my pathology came back it read Margin status - Focally involved - location Right posterior, inferior third prostate.  Extraprostatic Extension - Nil.  It also reads it the guts of the report - In slice 2 carcinoma focally involves the right posterior surgical margin of excision within the prostatic capsule over a length of 0.5mm.  Carcinoma at the margin shows mucinous differentiation and has a gleason grade of 4 appearance, no estraprostatic extension is seen.!  Q. Does this mean a positive margin or just that it came very close to the edge of the capsule ?.  The pathology report does not mention positive margins, just focal involvement !
Posted 3/6/2009 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
Sometimes it is not that clear to the layman whether the word "margin" is referring to the edge of the prostate or the edge of the surgical cut (they usually remove extra tissue around the capsule). Focal usually means a point (as in the point of a triangle). Posterior is the rear of the gland while inferior is the bottom of the gland. I believe the report is saying that there were pinpoints of cancer at the edge of the gland (in the back, lower portion) but was not through the edge of the gland. All in all it sounds like the tumour was knocking at the door. I would make sure you got a clear explanation of the pathology's meaning at your next visit with your doc............don't leave his office without knowing exactly what it means and then fill us in.
Bill
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply