Prostate Cancer Prognosis: Life Expectancy After Diagnosis

As with any other type of cancer, receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis can be a devastating experience, which can set off a cascade of emotions and a deep-seated fear of the unknown,

If your doctor has just delivered the dreadful news, it makes sense to know all of the important details about your diagnosis and treatment. Read on to learn about what might have caused your prostate cancer, the treatment options available for it, and what your prognosis might be.

What Causes Prostate Cancer?

The exact cause of prostate cancer is not entirely understood, but experts have established the major risk factors for the disease: advancing age, race, excess weight, family history, and diet. Studies show the link between prostate cancer and the habitual consumption of red meats, dairy products, and foods rich in saturated fats. Fats can stimulate production of testosterone, which can feed the growth of prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Treatment Options

The treatment approach required for prostate cancer depends on a number of factors, namely the stage of the disease, the risk of recurrence, your age, and your overall health. If yours is low-grade prostate cancer, you may not need any treatment at all. Instead, your urologist may recommend active surveillance with regular rectal exams, follow-up blood work, and prostate biopsies to monitor the progression of your condition.

If you belong to the immediate-risk group (people whose prostate cancer is localized or confined), your urologist may recommend partial gland ablation, radiation therapy, or radical prostatectomy (removal of the entire prostate).

If you’re a high-risk prostate cancer patient, you also have an increased likelihood of disease recurrence and death. Your care team may recommend local treatment strategies, which could include radical prostate removal, with or without adjuvant or salvage radiation therapy

Prostate Cancer Prognosis

While much has been published about the survival rates of prostate cancer, its outlook remains dependent on various factors. Your urologist will offer their advice and insight based on your specific condition.

Even with a prostate cancer diagnosis, living a long life is possible, if the disease is detected and treated early on in its course. The American Cancer Society reports that tumors that are localized have nearly a 100-percent chance of survival.

When the cancer spreads to surrounding lymph nodes, bone, and other tissues or organs, such as the lungs, life expectancy also shrinks appreciably. Metastatic prostate cancer has a five-year survivability of only 30 percent.

Prostate health experts at John Hopkins University say that 20 to 30 percent of prostate cancer patients have a recurrence of the tumors after they have passed the five-year mark.

Prostate Cancer Expert in Concord, NC

Dr. Richard Natale, our board-certified urologist here at Carolina Urology Partners, works in tandem with our medical team to provide hope and care for men living with prostate cancer and all other types of reproductive cancers. Just as we have helped countless men in Concord and beyond, we can work with you to help you achieve full remission, thrive with, or even beat your cancer.

To see Dr. Natale, call us at (704) 786-5131, or request your consultation right here on our website.