Noteworthy Numbers

TON - September 2012 VOL 5, NO 8 — October 11, 2012

Although the 10-year survival rate for prostate cancer is 98%, the disease is still the second leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States. With each new treatment developed, vaccine examined, and screening test created, scientists draw closer to the day when the survival rate for all patients with prostate cancer will be 100%. The following numbers reflect today’s prostate cancer statistics.

The ratio is 1:6 that a man will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.

More than 80% of those prostate cancer diagnoses are made in patients aged 65 years or older.

Overall, approximately 241,740 men in the US will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012.

The ratio of men who will die of prostate cancer is 1:36.

Thus, the number of deaths from prostate cancer in 2012 in the US is estimated to be 28,170.

Compared with white men, African American men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and have a mortality rate 2 times higher.

As researchers strive for a cure, prostate cancer treatments—including new drugs, surgical approaches, and improved radiotherapy —continue to expand.
Due to these medical advances and others, there are more than 2.5 million men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the US who are still alive today.

However, estimates show that about 20% to 30% of men will relapse 5 years after initial treatment and begin to show signs of disease recurrence.

Therefore, most doctors recommend prostate-specific antigen tests about every 6 months for the first 5 years after treatment, and at least yearly after that.

Sources:

http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/statistics;
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ProstateCancer/DetailedGuide/prostate-cancer-key-statistics;
http://www.cancer.net/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/risk-factors-and-prevention;
http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/prost.html;
http://www.pcf.org/site/c.leJRIROrEpH/b.5822791/k.1DC2/Recurrence.htm;
http://www.cancer.org/Cancer/ProstateCancer/DetailedGuide/prostate-cancer-after-follow-up.

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