Prostate cancer: survival rates

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, with on average 70,000 new cases in France being estimated each year. 

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It is also estimated that one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate adenocarcinoma over the course of their lifetimes, but in the majority of cases after they have reached the age of sixty. In fact, in 2005, the average age for the diagnosis of prostate cancer was 71. 
 
The incidence, i.e. the number of new cases reported over a given period, is continuously rising, with the number of cases having doubled over the past decade. This is due to the increase in the average age of the population, but also the introduction of screening for PSA (prostate specific antigens), that allows for easy and rapid screening for prostate cancer. 
 
In addition, prostate cancers often progress very slowly. The average age of death between 2003 and 2010 was 80. It is also common for patients to be affected by prostate adenocarcinoma without being aware of it and dying from a different cause entirely, even a natural death. 

Prostate cancer: low mortality rates

However, the rate of mortality worldwide is quite low, standing at 11.2 out of 100,000 men in the year 2010. 
 
In addition, prostate tumours tend to remain localised to the prostate, and rarely develop metastases. This means that the survival rate one year after diagnosis of prostate cancer is 95%, and five years after diagnosis is over 75%. This survival rate is higher than that for other cancers, despite the advanced age of patients, and thus various other causes of death.

Last updated: 23/08/2019

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