What Increases Your Risk
Being older than 50 is the main risk for
prostate cancer. A risk is anything that makes you
more likely to get a particular disease. More than 70% of new prostate cancers
are diagnosed in men who are older than 65.2
Your chances of getting the disease are higher if other men in your
family have had it. Your risk is doubled if your father or brother developed
prostate cancer. Your risk increases even more if those relatives were
diagnosed before they were 55.1 Most men who get
prostate cancer have no family history of the disease.
Most men will die with prostate cancer but
not of prostate cancer.3 Your
chances of dying from the disease depend on:
- Your overall health.
- Your age when
the cancer is diagnosed.
- Your ethnicity. Blacks are more likely
than whites to die from prostate cancer.4 Experts say
that this could be because of genetics, diet, where people live, and/or access
to health care.5
- How large your cancer
has grown. This is called the
stage of your cancer.
- Whether your cancer
is slow-growing or fast-growing. This is called the
grade of your cancer. Faster-growing cancers are a
higher grade of cancer and are more likely to reappear after treatment or to
spread to other parts of the body.
If you have prostate cancer, your chances of dying from it are
influenced by:
- A high-fat diet. Studies have shown that men
who have prostate cancer are more likely to see their cancer advance if they
have a high-fat diet.4
- Having a higher
grade of cancer. Cancers with higher grades grow faster and are more likely to
cause death.6
- Being
obese. Studies have shown that men who have prostate
cancer are more likely to die from the disease if they have a
body mass index of 30 or higher.7, 8
You have a greater chance of developing
metastatic prostate cancer if you have had
prostate cancer before.
Race and prostate cancer survival
Black men have a bigger chance of getting the kind of prostate
cancer that grows and spreads. Researchers are not sure why there is a
difference in disease and death rates among different races. Some experts think
there may be a genetic link. Some research suggests that access to health care
may play a role in survival rates.9
Ethnicity and 5-year survival (percentage
of men who survive for 5 years or more after prostate cancer is
diagnosed)4
Survival rates for prostate
cancer| Diagnosis | White | Black |
|---|
| Cancer that has not spread | 95% | 88% |
| Locally advanced cancer | 87% | 69% |
| Metastatic cancer | 30% | 23% |
The 5-year survival rate shows the percentage of men who are
still alive 5 years or longer after they are diagnosed. It is important to
remember that these are only averages. Everyone’s case is different, and these
numbers do not show what will happen in your case.