Prognosis for Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is a cancer of the male prostate gland. The prognosis for this type of cancer depends on how quickly doctors have discovered the disease. The earlier prostate cancer is detected, the better the prognosis.

Stages

• Prostate cancer, like many other cancers, has classifications called stages. These stages describe the level of advancement of the disease. Lower stages (such as stage I and II) have a better prognosis than the high stages (III and IV).

Treatments

• Once prostate cancer is diagnosed, many treatments are available to improve a patient's chances for survival. These include radiation therapy, radioactive seed implants, hormone therapy and surgery to remove the prostate.

Early Detection

• Prostate cancer patients have a good chance of recovery with early detection. The survival rate of men who have prostate cancer detected in its early (lower) stage is 98 percent.

Survival Rates

• American Cancer Society statistics show that survival rates for prostate cancer are high, with a 10-year survival rate of 93 percent and a 15-year survival rate of 77 percent.

Metastasis

• When prostate cancer avoids detection, and it migrates to other parts of the body, a process known as metastasis occurs. If this happens, the prognosis is much less optimistic, with a survival time of one to three years.