Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men (except for skin cancer) and the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States. This year, an estimated 238,590 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. It is estimated that 29,720 deaths from this disease will occur this year.

More than 90% of all prostate cancers are found when the disease is confined to the prostate and nearby organs. Overall, most men who develop prostate cancer (99%) are expected to live at least five years after diagnosis. The 10-year and 15-year survival rates (the percentage of people who survive at least 10 or 15 years after the cancer is detected, excluding those who die from other diseases) are 98% and 93%, respectively. Although the number of deaths from prostate cancer is declining among all men, the death rate remains more than twice as high in black men than in white men. These survival rates are a combination of early-stage and later-stage prostate cancers; a man’s individual survival depends on the type of prostate cancer and the stage of the disease.

Cancer survival statistics should be interpreted with caution. These estimates are based on data from thousands of men with this type of cancer in the United States each year, but the actual risk for a particular individual may differ. It is not possible to tell a man how long he will live with prostate cancer. Because survival statistics are often measured in multi-year intervals, they may not represent advances made in the treatment or diagnosis of this cancer. Learn more about understanding statistics [2].

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2013.

Last Updated: February 6, 2013