Stages, types and grades of prostate cancer
Localised prostate cancer is completely inside the prostate gland. It hasn’t spread outside the prostate gland or to any other parts of the body.
Doctors use the Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) to divide prostate cancer into 5 prognostic groups. This tells you how likely it is that your cancer will grow or spread.
In the TNM staging, localised prostate cancer is the same as T1 or T2. Below is a simplified description of the T1 and T2 stage:
T1 means the cancer is too small to be seen on a scan, or felt during an examination of the prostate.
T2 means the cancer is completely inside the prostate gland. It can usually be seen on a scan, or felt during an examination.
Find out more about TNM staging
We have a separate page about prostate cancer that has broken through the capsule (covering) of the prostate gland. Some people call this locally advanced prostate cancer.
Read about locally advanced prostate cancers
In the UK, doctors now use the Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) for localised prostate cancer. This divides prostate cancer into 5 prognostic groups.
The term prognostic refers to your outlook ( ). So your prognostic group tells you how likely it is that your cancer will grow or spread. And how likely it is that you will die from your cancer. This helps your doctor recommend if you need treatment, and the type of treatment you need.
There are 5 risk groups. These are from CPG 1 to CPG 5.
Your group depends on:
your Grade Group or Gleason score
the prostate specific antigen (PSA) level
how far the cancer has grown in your prostate - this is the T stage
Ask your doctor or specialist nurse if you have any questions about this.
We have more information about the Cambridge Prognostic Groups (CPG)
Some doctors may still use an older system. This divides prostate cancer into 3 risk groups. The term risk refers to how likely it is that your cancer will come back after treatment. The risk groups are:
low risk prostate cancer - doctors consider this to be similar to CPG 1
medium or intermediate risk prostate cancer - doctors consider this to be similar to CPG 2 and CPG 3
high risk prostate cancer - doctors consider this to be similar to CPG 4 and CPG 5
If your cancer has spread
When prostate cancer spreads to another part of your body, it is called metastatic prostate cancer. Doctors don't use prognostic groups or risk groups for prostate cancer that has spread.
Treatment for localised prostate cancer depends on your CPG group. It also depends on:
your age and general health
how you feel about the treatments and side effects
Your doctor might not recommend treatment straight away. Sometimes your doctor may recommend monitoring your cancer. You only start treatment if the cancer begins to grow. Depending on your situation, they may call this:
active surveillance
watchful waiting
If you decide to have treatment, it might include:
surgery to remove your prostate (prostatectomy)
with or without
internal radiotherapy ( )
Find out about treatment options for the different prognostic groups
The Predict Prostate tool can help you decide between monitoring and more radical treatment. It is for men who have:
prostate cancer that hasn't spread
a Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) of 1,2 or 3
The tool can't tell you exactly what is going to happen in the future. But it gives you an idea about the differences in survival between the different treatment options. The tool works less well for men with a very high PSA or those with a fast growing or large cancer.
To be able to use the tool you need to know the following about your cancer:
PSA level
T stage of your cancer
the Grade Group
how much cancer there is - this is based on the number of biopsy samples that contained cancer divided by the number of biopsies taken
Speak to your doctor if you want to find out more about this or if you need help using the tool. There is a video explaining what the tool is about. The video is 1 minute and 46 seconds long.
Understanding more about the different treatments and the side effects can help you cope.
Last reviewed: 06 Jun 2025
Next review due: 06 Jun 2028
The Grade Group gives your doctor an idea of how the cancer might behave and what treatment you need. This is also known as the Gleason score.
The TNM staging is a way of describing how far prostate cancer has grown. It stands for Tumour, Node, Metastasis.
Locally advanced prostate cancer means the cancer has broken through the capsule (covering) of the prostate gland.
You may have a choice of treatments such as surgery or radiotherapy. Or your doctor might suggest that they monitor your cancer instead of treatment straight away.
Doctors group prostate cancer into risk groups. In the UK, they now use the Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) system that divides prostate cancer into 5 risk groups.
Prostate cancer is cancer that starts in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is found at the base of the bladder and is about the size of a walnut.
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