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Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, other than skin
cancers, in American men. The American Cancer Society estimates that
during 2009 about 192,280 new cases of prostate cancer will be
diagnosed in the United States. About 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with
prostate cancer during his lifetime, but only 1 man in 35 will die of
it. More than 2 million men in the United States who have been
diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point are still alive today.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in
American men, behind only lung cancer. The American Cancer Society
estimates that 27,360 men in the United States will die of prostate
cancer in 2009. Prostate cancer accounts for about 10% of
cancer-related deaths in men.
The 5-year
survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who
live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. These rates are
used to create a standard way of discussing prognosis (outlook). Of
course, many of these patients live much longer than 5 years after
diagnosis. Five-year survival rates are based on patients diagnosed and
first treated more than 5 years ago. Improvements in treatment since
then may result in a better outlook for recently diagnosed patients.
Five-year relative survival rates compare the observed survival with
that expected for people without the cancer. That means that relative
survival only talks about deaths from the cancer in question. This is a
more accurate way to describe the outlook for patients with a certain
cancer.
According to the most recent data, for all men with prostate
cancer, the relative 5-year survival rate is nearly100% and the
relative 10-year survival rate is 93%. The 15-year relative survival
rate is 79%. Keep in mind that 5-year survival rates are based on
patients diagnosed and first treated more than 5 years ago, and 10-year
survival rates are based on patients diagnosed more than 10 years ago.
Modern methods of detection and treatment mean that many prostate
cancers are now found earlier and can be treated more effectively. If
you are diagnosed this year, your outlook is likely to be better than
the numbers reported above.
Last Medical Review: 08/25/2008
Last Revised: 05/13/2009
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