Understanding Prostate Cancer

Overview of Prostate Cancer

• Prostate cancer develops in the prostate, a walnut-sized gland in males that produces seminal fluid for sperm transport.
• It is one of the most common cancers among men.

Characteristics and Growth Patterns

• Many prostate cancers grow slowly and remain confined to the prostate, potentially causing minimal harm.
• Aggressive variants of prostate cancer can spread rapidly and pose significant health risks.

Early Detection and Survival Rates

• Early detection of prostate cancer, while still confined to the prostate, greatly improves treatment success.
• Over 95% of men with early-detected prostate cancer survive for at least one year.
• Approximately 90% survive for five years or more after diagnosis.

Risks of Untreated Prostate Cancer

• Untreated prostate cancer can grow and spread to surrounding tissues and distant sites, including the liver and lungs.
• Potential spread can affect seminal vesicles, bladder, or rectum.

Epidemiology

• About 60% of prostate cancers are diagnosed in men aged 65 or older.
• Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among American men, following lung cancer.
• The lifetime risk of dying from prostate cancer is roughly 1 in 44.

Prognosis

• Most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from the disease.
• More than 3.3 million men in the U.S. who have ever been diagnosed with prostate cancer are currently alive.

Trends in Mortality Rates

• From 1993 to 2013, the prostate cancer death rate decreased by about 50%, attributed to early detection and advancements in treatment.
• Recently, this death rate has stabilized, indicative of a rise in advanced-stage cancer diagnoses.