Prostate cancer survival rate, refers to the percentage of patients who will live for 5 years or longer after diagnosis, no matter if the symptoms of the disease exist or are currently brought under control. The survival in case of prostate cancer is determined by several factors including the stage of the disease, the overall health of the patient, response to the treatment and specific pathohistological characteristics of the tumor. Survival rates are only statistic data and the survival of each patient is individual.
Factors Influencing Prostate Cancer Survival Rates
The survival rates depend on the following: the stage of the cancer, patient's age and his overall health, whether the cancer has just been diagnosed or a person is suffering from recurrent tumor and finally, the level of PSA and the pathohistological characteristics of the tumor which determine the Gleason score.
There are many approaches for calculating survival rates. The relative survival rate refers to the survival of prostate cancer patients in comparison to the general population. Each year the number changes and this way scientists can have insight in the occurrence of the disease. The statistic data explore the occurrence of malignancy in different age groups and in different races.
The very stage of the disease is a significant indicator of the survival. It plays an important role in determining survival rates. It is estimated that in 91% of all cases the cancer is diagnosed either in an early stage (localized disease) or the tumor has spread to regional lymph nodes and a bit beyond its original site. In 5% of prostate cancer the cancer has spread to distant organs (metastases) and for the rest (4%) the staging information is not clear. The expected survival rates for localized/ regional disease are 100%. In case the cancer has spread to distant organs it is estimated that 33.3% of all patients will survive 5 years. And finally, in case of unstaged prostate cancer 79.5% of all cases will live for at least 5 years after setting of the diagnosis.
Prostate Cancer - Treatment Overview
There are several treatment procedures that help to determine prostate cancer survival rates. The doctor opts for the most convenient treatment depending on the stage of the disease and patient's overall health. A group of medical experts are engaged in the treatment and they include urologists, urologic oncologists, radiation oncologists and medical oncologists. This type of cancer can be successfully brought under control and patients can be treated with significant amount of success. The best results are, however, achieved if the cancer is diagnosed in the early stage of the disease.
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