Did you know that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States? The cancer, commonly found in men above the age of 50, is the fourth most common cancer diagnosis in the world.
Roughly 12.9% of all men living in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. According to John Hopkins Medicine, 20% to 30% of men will relapse after the five-year mark of their treatment. This number is dependent on the extent of prostate cancer and how aggressive it is. When caught early, prostate cancer treatments are highly successful. But this poses the question, at what state is most prostate cancer diagnosed?
There are four stages of prostate cancer:
Stage 1: The cancer is only in the prostate and has not spread to surrounding areas. This is also referred to as local.
Stage 2: The cancer is still local to the prostate, but poses an increased risk of spreading outside the prostate gland.
Stage 3: The cancer has locally advanced.
Stage 4: The cancer has spread to surrounding areas, lymph nodes or other parts of the body. This is referred to as regional or distant, based on the severity and aggressiveness of the cancer.
The National Cancer Institute reports that 69.4% of men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the local stage. The local stage covers stages 1-3, which may look daunting, but with appropriate treatment most men diagnosed with prostate cancer at the local or regional stage are disease free within five years.
The risk of prostate cancer increases as men age. Nearly 60% of all prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in individuals 65 or older. However, lifestyle choices, race and family history all play a role in an individual’s risk. Having a family history of prostate cancer increases the likelihood of diagnosis.
Research from the National Cancer Institute supports a five-year relative survival rate of 100% in both localized and regional prostate cancer. The five-year relative survival rate drops to 34% for distant prostate cancer.
Don’t hesitate. Take your prostate health into your own hands and schedule an appointment with Arkansas Urology to receive advanced treatment today!
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