Prostate cancer
What will happen to me?
If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, you may want to find out all you can about what lies ahead. But no one can say for sure what will happen to you.
Doctors will usually talk about the percentage of men who are likely to be alive in five or 10 years. You may find it easier
to cope if you know these figures. On the other hand, you may find this kind of information confusing and frightening.
If you don't want to read about figures on surviving prostate cancer, then skip this page. If you do read on, keep in mind
that no statistics can tell you what will happen to you as an individual. There are many different things that can affect
the outlook for you personally.
Most prostate cancers grow slowly. Many men live for years without getting any symptoms. So although 1 man in 6 will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, only
1 in 35 will die of the disease.
1
Source:
American Cancer Society.
What are the key statistics about prostate cancer?
July 2009. Available at http://www.cancer.org (accessed on 30 November 2009).
American Cancer Society.
What are the key statistics about prostate cancer?
July 2009. Available at http://www.cancer.org (accessed on 30 November 2009).
Most men with prostate cancer will still be alive 10 years after being diagnosed. Around 90 in 100 will survive their disease for 10 years or more even if no early treatment is provided. And around 70 in
100 will still be alive 15 years after their diagnosis.
1
Source:
American Cancer Society.
What are the key statistics about prostate cancer?
July 2009. Available at http://www.cancer.org (accessed on 30 November 2009).
American Cancer Society.
What are the key statistics about prostate cancer?
July 2009. Available at http://www.cancer.org (accessed on 30 November 2009).
There are two factors that doctors use to predict what might happen to you. The first is the TNM stage of your cancer. TNM stands for "tumor, node, metastasis." This staging system looks at how far your cancer has spread and
whether any
lymph nodes are involved.
lymph nodes
Lymph nodes (also called glands) are small, bean-shaped lumps that you cannot usually see or easily feel. They are located in various parts of the body, such as the neck, armpit and groin. Lymph nodes filter the lymph fluid and remove unusual things, such as bacteria and cancer cells.
Lymph nodes (also called glands) are small, bean-shaped lumps that you cannot usually see or easily feel. They are located in various parts of the body, such as the neck, armpit and groin. Lymph nodes filter the lymph fluid and remove unusual things, such as bacteria and cancer cells.
The second factor doctors look at is the grade of your tumor. Your cancer grade is determined by your Gleason score, a system that rates how your cancer looks under a microscope. The more your cancer cells look like normal prostate cells,
the lower your grade and the better your chances. A low-grade tumor (Gleason score 2 to 4) is likely to be slow-growing, while
a high-grade tumor (Gleason score 8 to 10) is more likely to be fast-growing (aggressive) or to have already spread.
- If you have been diagnosed at an early stage of the disease and the cancer has not spread beyond your prostate, there's a good chance that you will live as long as someone who does not have prostate cancer. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that you are cured. Any man diagnosed with prostate cancer is likely to need regular checkups.
- If your cancer has spread to the organs close to your prostate, it is not usually curable. But your chances of surviving the disease are still good.
- Most men who have prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of their body or to their bones (called metastatic disease) will die from their disease. Only one-third of these men will still be alive five years after
being diagnosed.
Source:
National Cancer Institute.
What you need to know about prostate cancer.
November 2008. Available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/prostate (accessed on 1 December 2009).
2 -
Your age and general health can affect whether you will survive your cancer. If you are older and have other health problems, such as heart disease or
diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that causes too much sugar to circulate in your blood. It happens when your body stops making a hormone called insulin (type 1 diabetes) or when insulin stops working (type 2 diabetes).diabetes, you may be more likely to die from these conditions than from your cancer.
This is known as clinically localized cancer. Doctors classify it as T1 or T2 in the TNM system. Almost 9 out of 10 prostate cancers are found in this stage.
3
Source:
American Cancer Society.
Prostate cancer.
Available at http://documents.cancer.org/117.00/117.00.pdf (accessed on 1 December 2009).
American Cancer Society.
Prostate cancer.
Available at http://documents.cancer.org/117.00/117.00.pdf (accessed on 1 December 2009).
Around 100 percent of men whose cancer has not spread beyond their prostate will be alive five years after diagnosis.
3
Source:
American Cancer Society.
Prostate cancer.
Available at http://documents.cancer.org/117.00/117.00.pdf (accessed on 1 December 2009).
American Cancer Society.
Prostate cancer.
Available at http://documents.cancer.org/117.00/117.00.pdf (accessed on 1 December 2009).
If you have early prostate cancer, treating it may not improve your chances of surviving your cancer. Some men choose not to treat their cancer but instead
choose to have regular checkups to keep an eye on what's happening (called active surveillance). Men who have radiation therapy or surgery to take out their prostate may not live any longer. Still, these men may feel reassured that they've taken steps to remove a potentially fatal cancer.
To learn more, see What treatments work for prostate cancer?
This is called locally advanced cancer. Doctors classify it as T3 or T4 in the TNM system.
-
Almost 9 out of 10 men (89 percent) will live for at least five years.
Source:
American Cancer Society.
Prostate cancer.
Available at http://documents.cancer.org/117.00/117.00.pdf (accessed on 1 December 2009).
3 - You have about a 30 percent chance that your disease will have spread to other organs and bones (called metastatic disease) 10 years after your diagnosis.
- Men whose cancer has spread may develop symptoms such as blood in their urine (called hematuria), problems passing urine and swollen lower legs.
- Around 37 in 100 men whose cancer has spread to other sites in their body will live for five years or more.
Source:
American Cancer Society.
Prostate cancer.
Available at http://documents.cancer.org/117.00/117.00.pdf (accessed on 1 December 2009).
3 Most men will live between two and three years.Source:
Pound CR, Partin AW, Eisenberger MA, et al.
Natural history of progression after PSA elevation following radical prostatectomy.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1999; 281: 1591-1597.
4 - Cancer that has spread to your bones can be very painful. Men with metastatic disease may also develop anemia, which means they have too few red blood cells. This causes extreme tiredness. Advanced cancer may also lead to loss of appetite.
Sources for the information on this page:
- American Cancer Society.What are the key statistics about prostate cancer?July 2009. Available at http://www.cancer.org (accessed on 30 November 2009).
- National Cancer Institute.What you need to know about prostate cancer.November 2008. Available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancerinfo/wyntk/prostate (accessed on 1 December 2009).
- American Cancer Society.Prostate cancer.Available at http://documents.cancer.org/117.00/117.00.pdf (accessed on 1 December 2009).
- Pound CR, Partin AW, Eisenberger MA, et al.Natural history of progression after PSA elevation following radical prostatectomy.Journal of the American Medical Association. 1999; 281: 1591-1597.
This information was last updated on Dec 08, 2009
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2010. All rights reserved.
© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2010. All rights reserved.
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