Prostate Cancer Cure Rate

Science has gone to great lengths to understand and deal with prostate cancer, improving the overall prognosis of those afflicted with it and the cure rate. Depending on the age at which they are diagnosed, men should fear death from old age before they worry about dying from prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer

• Risk of developing prostate cancer increases with age. Other risk factors include ethnicity---African Americans are more likely to develop prostate cancer; Japanese men, less likely---and exposure to hazardous chemicals. Symptoms include impaired or altered ability to urinate coupled with the possibility of localized pain during urination or ejaculation.

Treatment

• The generally accepted treatments for prostate cancer are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Surgery aims to remove the prostate itself, whereas radiation and chemotherapy act to eliminate the cancerous cells.

Survival Rate

• Cancer is never technically considered "cured' but only placed into remission, which is a waiting period to see if it re-emerges. According to the American Cancer Society, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer patients is 100 percent. The 10-year survival rate is 91 percent.

Improving Cure Rate

• A number of factors influence the overall survival rate for individuals with prostate cancer. In general, younger patients tend to fare better in treatment, as do individuals who are more physically fit.

Considerations

• Early detection significantly improves the survival rate of patients. For example, according to EMedTv.com, even though the five-year survival rate is 100 percent for localized prostate tumors, the survival rate drops to 33.3 percent if the cancer spreads throughout the body. Men should be diligent about regular prostate cancer screenings to detect cancer before it spreads.