Prostate Cancer
Statistics and Survival Rates
Among men in the United States,
prostate cancer is the most common cancer, next
to skin cancer. Prostate cancer statistics, according
to the American Cancer Society, indicate that
for 2009, about 192,280 new cases of prostate
cancer will be diagnosed and 27,360 men will die
of prostate cancer.1
These numbers can also be expressed
as 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate
cancer during their lifetime and 1 in 35 men will
die of prostate cancer. Second only to lung cancer,
prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer death
in American men and the disease accounts for about
10% of cancer-related deaths in men overall.1
That said, more than 2 million men in the United
States who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer
at some point are still alive today.1
A 5-year survival rate can be defined
as the percentage of patients diagnosed and first
treated more than 5 years ago and who live at
least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed.
Many patients live much longer than 5 years after
diagnosis. Five-year survival rates are used among
medical professionals to create a standard way
of discussing prognosis (or outlook) for patients
with a certain cancer. These rates compare the
recently observed survival with that expected
for people without cancer, so that relative survival
only reflects the number of deaths from the cancer
in question. Improvements in prostate cancer treatment
since a patient was first treated may result in
a better outlook for recently diagnosed patients.
The American
Cancer Society prostate cancer statistics also
indicate that of all men with prostate cancer,
the relative 5-year survival rate is nearly 100%,
the relative 10-year survival rate is 91%, and
the relative 15-year survival rate is 76%.1 It
is important to remember 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. Advanced methods of detection and
prostate cancer treatment mean that many prostate
cancers are now found earlier and can be treated
more effectively. If you are among the many men
diagnosed with prostate cancer this year, your
prognosis (or outlook) is likely to be better
than the number reported above.
1 Detailed Guide: Prostate Cancer
“What Are the Key Statistics About Prostate Cancer.”
American Cancer Society, July 30 ,2009.
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