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Metastatic Prostate Cancer Life Expectancy

Prostate cancer is a condition affecting men in rough proportion to their age. While prostate cancer is fairly treatable if caught early, the prognosis becomes increasingly grim as the cancer progresses through its natural development. Metastatic prostate cancer has the lowest life expectancy of any form of prostate cancer, and it is notoriously difficult to force into remission.

  1. Prostate Cancer

    • The most common signs of prostate cancer are an impaired or altered ability to urinate, including inability to urinate, increased frequency of urination, pain with urination, or mild incontinence (dribbling).

    Metastatic Cancer

    • Metastatic cancer is the general term for cancer that has metastasized--spread from its original location to other places within the body. According to Rami Y. Haddad, M.D., metastatic prostate cancer most often spreads to the bones of the body, along with the bladder or bowels. The only real options for treating metastatic cancer are chemo and radiation, and these are uphill battles as the cancer has spread to such a large extent.

    Survival Rates

    • Average survival rate statistics are useful to show the distinction between treating localized and metastatic prostate cancer. The survival rate for individuals with localized prostate cancer is a staggering 100 percent. This means that everyone with prostate cancer that has yet to spread will be alive a full five years after their original diagnosis. On the contrary, the five-year survival rate for individuals with metastatic prostate cancer is only 33.3 percent.

    Life Expectancy

    • Roughly 50 percent of individuals with metastatic prostate cancer will die within three years. This means that the average life expectancy for an individual with advanced prostate cancer falls somewhere between just two and four years.

    Considerations

    • Remember that when discussing statistics and life expectancies, these are merely averages. Each case of cancer is generally unique, and some are far more aggressive than others. Thus, it is entirely possible that you will far exceed the numbers stated, so try not to get hung up on the actual figures. Keeping upbeat with a positive attitude is the best way to ensure that you live as long as you are able, even with metastatic prostate cancer.

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