Survival statistics for prostate cancer

Survival statistics for prostate cancer are very general estimates and must be interpreted very carefully. Because these statistics are based on the experience of groups of people, they cannot be used to predict a particular person's chances of survival. In general, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer do not die from the disease itself and will die from other causes.

There are many different ways to measure and report cancer survival statistics. Your doctor can explain the statistics for prostate cancer and what they mean to you.

Net survival represents the probability (chance) of surviving cancer in the absence of other causes of death. It is used to give an estimate of the percentage of people who will survive cancer.

In Canada, the 5-year net survival for prostate cancer is 91%. This means that, on average, about 91% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer will live for at least 5 years.

Survival varies with each stage of prostate cancer. The grade of prostate cancer is also a strong predictor for survival.

Generally, the earlier prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome. Because prostate cancer tends to grow slowly, it can often be successfully treated. Also, there are many treatments available for prostate cancer and it often responds well to treatment.

Advanced and recurrent prostate cancers and castration-resistant prostate cancer (prostate cancer that doesn't respond to hormone therapy or comes back after hormone therapy) can be hard to treat because they do not respond well to some treatments.

Survival by stage for prostate cancer is reported as 5-year relative survival. Relative survival looks at how likely people with cancer are to survive for at least 5 years after their diagnosis compared to people in the general population who do not have cancer but who share similar characteristics (such as age and sex).

There are no specific Canadian statistics available for the different stages of prostate cancer. The following information comes from a variety of sources. It may include statistics from other countries that are likely to have similar outcomes as in Canada.

Talk to your doctor about your prognosis. A prognosis depends on many factors, including:

• your health history
• the type of cancer
• the stage
• certain characteristics of the cancer
• the treatments chosen
• how the cancer responds to treatment

Only a doctor familiar with these factors can put all of this information together with survival statistics to arrive at a prognosis.