Usually, the statistics refer to the 5-year prostate cancer survival rate. This equals the percent of men who are alive 5 years after they were diagnosed with prostate cancer regardless of whether they’re showing few or no symptoms of cancer, are free of disease, or are still undergoing treatment.
The prostate cancer survival rates are based on large groups of men and can’t predict what will happen to one particular person. No two people are exactly alike, and prostate cancer treatment and a person’s response to it vary from person to person.
Influencing Factors of the Prostate Cancer Survival Rate
Generally, the prostate cancer survival rate is dependent on these factors:
- What the stage of the prostate cancer is
- The general health and age of the patient
- Whether the cancer was just diagnosed or whether it has come back (recurring cancer)
- The Gleason score and the level of PSA
Overall Prostate Cancer Survival Rate
Prostate cancer survival rates are calculated through different methods based on the different purposes. The prostate cancer survival rate shown here is based on the relative survival rate, which measures the survival of cancers patients compared to the general population to estimate the effect of cancer. The overall 5-year relative prostate cancer survival rate for 1995-2002 was 99 percent. The 5-year relative prostate cancer survival rate broken down by sex and race were:
- 99.9 % for white men
- 97.6 % for black men
Stage-Based Prostate Cancer Survival Rate
What stage the prostate cancer is in also plays a role in the prostate cancer survival rate. Based on historical data about prostate cancer cases:
- 91% of cancer cases are diagnosed while the cancer is still confined to the primary site, which is the localized stage, or after the cancer has spread to regional lymph nodes or directly beyond the primary site, the regional stage
- 5% of cancer cases are diagnosed after the cancer has already metastasized, which is the distant stage
- 4% of cancer cases had staging info that was unknown
The corresponding prostate cancer survival rates are:
- 100% for localized or regional stages
- 33.3% for distant stages
- 79.5% for unstaged cancers
