Prostate cancer is often described based on whether it is confined to the prostate or it has spread outside the prostate.

• Prostate cancer that has not spread outside the prostate is called localized prostate cancer.
• Advanced prostate cancer is a broad term for cancer that has grown through the outer wall of the prostate. It may be called locally advanced or regional when it has spread into nearby tissues, such as the bladder or rectum, or into nearby lymph nodes. When the cancer has spread to another part of the body, like the bones or other organs, it's called metastatic prostate cancer.