A prostate cancer survival rate refers to the percentage of people who were reported still living after being diagnosed with the cancer about 5 yrs ago.
However, a patient must always remember that rates are not a definitive indicator of what will happen to a patient. These rates only exist for a sole purpose - to act as a guide and a determinant of whether a certain treatment was able to make wonderful results in a matter of 5 years? The rates are often based on the results of a large-scale study and oftentimes, patients with similar treatments are the main participants.
With more than 31,000 new cases, Renal Cell Carcinoma is the most common type of cancer of the kidneys. The cancer is also most common amongst men over the age of 55 and has a staggering mortality rate of over 12,000 people in the US annually.
Prostate cancer may be considered a silent killer because this is included amongst those types of cancers that may never show symptoms until the disease has already progressed in a more advance level.
The disease can progress for years without the patient being aware of it. The most common symptoms that usually lead to a doctor's visit are pain and difficulty in urination and erectile dysfunction.
Fortunately, compared to most cancers, the general prostate cancer survival rate is actually very high. The five year prostate cancer survival rate in the US has reached almost 100% and only around 3% has succumbed to the disease.
The prostate cancer survival rate in 10 years is still high at 92% while it decreases significantly in 15 years at 70%.
The high prostate cancer survival rate is mainly due to almost 91% of cases mostly detected when the cancer is still localized and contained within the prostate or nearby areas.
The same as other cancers, cancer of the prostate is a progressive disease that usually leaves the patient hoping for earlier death due to the amount of pain and suffering they may experience in frequent basis especially when the disease has already reached the advanced stages.
The rate is low for men whose cancer has violated the prostatic capsule. On average, 46% of patients with metastatic prostate disease die within 22 months after diagnosis and 32% barely reaches the mark of 5 yrs survival period.
In general, prostate cancer is a slow growing cancer with a higher incidence in developed countries. The reason behind this is unclear.
