Prostate Cancer Statistics

Prostate cancer is a very common cancer in men. Actually, it is the most common cancer, other than skin cancers, in American men. It is the second leading cause of male death from cancer, only trailing lung cancer in that regard. Prostate cancer currently accounts for approximately 10% of cancer deaths in males and will  claim the life of approximately 27,000 American men in 2006.

Here are some estimates and statistics from the The American Cancer Society (ACS) about the incidence of prostate cancer in Americin males. The ACS claims that approximately one out of every six men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during his life. The death rate or mortality rate is estimated at approximately one out of every 34 males.

All told, the ACS estimates that about 234,460 new diagnoses of prostate cancer will be made in the United States during the year 2006.

The mortality statistics for prostate cancer depend on a number of factors including the:

* Stage of the prostate cancer;

* The Gleason Score;

* The PSA Level.

Cancer staging refers to the spread of a cancer. In most cancers, the stages go from 1-4 where stage 1 usually refers to a localized cancer and stage 4 usually refers to a cancer that has widely spread.

In all cancers, the prognosis worsens as the stage at the time of diagnosis increases from 1 to 4.

The Gleason score is a term which is specific to prostate cancer. It refers to the aggressiveness of the prostate cancer cells. To read more about the Gleason Score click here.

The PSA level refers to the result of a blood test for PSA. To read more about PSA click here.

Five Year Survival Rates For Prostate Cancer

These figures are estimates but will serve to give a sense of the survival rates for prostate cancer. Five year survival figures estimate the percentage of patients who will be alive 5 years after the initial diagnosis. It is technically not a measurement of a success rate of a therapy since some patients will still succumb to the disease after the initial five year period.

Five Year Survival Rates For Stage 1 and Stage 2 Prostate Cancer

Between 65 and 98 out of every 100 men (65 - 98%) with stage 1 and stage 2 prostate cancer will live for more than five years after the time of  diagnosis.

About 60% of patients with stage 3 Prostate Cancer will be alive five years after the initial diagnosis.

Five Year Survival Rates For Stage 4 Prostate Cancer

About 30% of men with the diagnosis of Stage 4 or advanced prostate cancer will live for more than five years after the initial diagnosis. On average, patients in this category of metastatic prostate cancer can expect their cancer to respond to treatment for approximately 12 to 18 months. Average survival after that is about another two years.