Prostate cancer

By Metro Creative

Five-year survival rates for prostate cancer are notably high. Johns Hopkins Medicine notes that approximately 80 to 85% of all prostate cancers are detected in the local or regional stages, which plays a significant role in improving survival rates for the disease.

Johns Hopkins notes that many men diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated at the local or regional stages are cancer-free after five years. Indeed, the American Cancer Society reports that the five-year survival rates for localized and regional prostate cancers was greater than 99%. Localized indicates there is no evidence that the cancer has spread beyond the prostate, while regional means it has spread to nearby structures or lymph nodes.

The high survival rates for local and regional prostate cancers underscore the effectiveness of screening for the disease. The ACS recommends men who are at average risk for prostate cancer discuss screening with their physicians at age 50, while those at high risk should open such a dialogue at age 45.

Men at very high risk, which includes individuals with a first-degree relative who had prostate cancer at an early age, should discuss screening upon reaching age 40. When prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body, the five-year survival rate is 34%.

— Metro Creative