Life Expectancy with Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

PCRI’s Executive Director, Mark Scholz, MD, emphasizes that men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer generally have strong reasons to be optimistic about their life expectancy. He goes on to explain why this means that men need to consider quality of life when deciding between treatment options (or no treatment at all) since these are decisions that men will be living with for many years.

:04 Many men who are newly diagnosed with prostate cancer are curious to know what their life expectancy is going to be and they are usually pessimistic given cancer’s reputation. Prostate cancer, however, is a unique form of cancer and the outlooks are generally quite good. A study by the American Cancer Society found that the 5-year survival rate is 99%, 10-year is 98%, and 15-year is 94%.

:47 Even more reason to be optimistic is that the survival rates from the American Cancer Society’s study were based on outcomes from men who were diagnosed over 15 years ago. Technology has improved (and will continue to improve) so that men diagnosed in 2019 and beyond can expect that the survival rates published 15 years from now (which would include them) will be even better than the ones that are published now.

1:18 Some people may know someone who died young from prostate cancer, and so they may doubt the optimistic outlook that these numbers suggest. There are two situations in which a person would die unusually young from prostate cancer. First, a man may not be screening and so he would not be diagnosed and treated until the disease is at an advanced stage. Second, some men have rare forms of the disease that are especially aggressive and difficult to treat.

2:06 Since survival rates for prostate cancer are generally so good (and keep getting better), men who are newly diagnosed need to carefully consider their treatment options and how they will impact their quality of life since these are decisions that they will live with for many years.

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The Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to helping you research your treatment options. We understand that you have many questions, and we can help you find the answers that are specific to your case. All of our resources are designed by a multidisciplinary team of advocates and expert physicians, for patients. We believe that by educating yourself about the disease, you will have more productive interactions with your medical professionals and receive better-individualized care. Feel free to explore our website or call our free helpline at 1 (800) 641-7274 with any questions that you have. Our Federal Tax ID # is 95-4617875 and qualifies for maximum charitable gift deductions by individual donors.

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