In the country alone, prostate cancer is known to affect millions of males. Of the different types of prostate cancer, there’s one type, which is extremely common. Usually, all the cases of this cancer are adenocarcinomas. However, about 1 to 5% of people suffer from various other types of prostate cancer. Here, we’ll explain all the prevalent types of prostate cancer.

Adenocarcinoma
As discussed, this is the most common type, and approximately 95-99% of people with prostate cancer have this form of cancer. Further, of people who suffer from adenocarcinoma, approximately 90% of cases are of acinar prostate cancer, while the remaining 10% comprise ductal carcinoma. The former develops in the acini cells. As a result of this type of cancer, people experience a surge in their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Ductal carcinoma occurs in those cells, which line the ducts and the tubes of the male prostate gland. They may or may not have an impact on the PSA levels. This makes it harder to diagnose. It is noteworthy that the ductal variant of adenocarcinomas spreads more quickly than the acinar adenocarcinomas.

Sarcomas
Out of all people suffering from prostate cancer, the cases of sarcomas are quite rare. It is cancer, which develops in male soft tissues, such as nerves and muscles. Unfortunately, soft tissues are present all across the body. Thus, sarcomas spread and develop rapidly across the body. They can be further divided into rhabdomyosarcomas and leiomyosarcomas. Sarcomas are quite common among males in the age group of 35 to 60. Some cases have also been spotted in children. These do not alter the PSA levels and are hence hard to diagnose.

Neuroendocrine tumors
The third different type of prostate cancer is Neuroendocrine tumors (NET). It is cancer, which develops in the male neuroendocrine system that includes the nerves and the gland cells, which help in the production and the release of the hormones in the blood. It is a slow-developing cancer, which starts in the digestive system. A common type of NET is small cell cancer. It is made from small round cells and it is more prevalent than the regular NET.

Transitional cell carcinoma
Urothelial cancer or transitional cell prostate cancer develops around the structures that envelop the prostate, i.e., the bladder and the urethra. This predominantly starts as a urethra tumor. But with time, the bladder breaks, and then the tumor spreads around. It is a rare type of prostate cancer.

Squamous cell cancer
Though rare, it grows rapidly. This cancer develops in the flat squamous cells, which envelop the male prostate gland. It is an aggressive type of prostate cancer.

This list of different types of prostate cancer is not exhaustive. However, since most non-adenocarcinomas prostate cancers are rare, there’s ongoing research to discover more about these rare variants.