Prostate Cancer

The prostate gland is a focus of medical concern for all men after age 40. One in six men will develop prostate cancer, making prostate cancer the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Both benign and malignant conditions can affect the prostate gland. Benign enlargement of the prostate (BPH) can cause urinary difficulties, and will affect almost all men as they get older.

While many statistics surround prostate cancer, it is still true that most men who have prostate cancer do not die from it. The American Cancer Society estimated 192,000 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2009 and more than 27,000 men died from the disease. The good news is that most cases are diagnosed while the cancer is still within the prostate. Cancer found at this early stage usually has a high cure rate. According to the most recent data, for all men with prostate cancer, the relative five-year survival is nearly 100 percent, the relative ten-year survival is 91 percent, and the relative 15 year survival exceeds 76 percent.