The Facts

• Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America.

• One in six American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

• A man is 35% more likely to develop prostate cancer than a woman is to develop breast cancer.

• In 2008, more than 186,000 American men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. That’s one new case every 2.5 minutes.

• In 2008, more than 28,000 American men will die from prostate cancer. That’s one death every 19 minutes.

• Approximately 2 million American men currently have prostate cancer.

• A non-smoking man is more likely to develop prostate cancer than he is to develop colon, bladder, melanoma, lymphoma and kidney cancer combined.

Risk Factors, Symptoms and Screening

• African American men are 56% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than Caucasian men and are nearly 2.5 times as likely to die from the disease.

• The only well-established risk factors for prostate cancer are age, ethnicity and family history of the disease; however, high dietary fat intake may also be a significant risk factor.

• The chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer increases rapidly after age 50. More than 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.

• Early prostate cancer usually has no symptoms and is most commonly detected through prostate cancer screening tests such as the PSA blood test and digital rectal exam.

Treatments and Survival Rates

• Prostate cancer can be eliminated from the body by surgery or radiation – if diagnosed at an early stage. However, every year, 70,000 men require additional treatment due to a recurrence of prostate cancer.

• Because approximately 90% of all prostate cancers are detected in the local and regional stages, the cure rate for prostate cancer is very high—nearly 100% of men diagnosed at this stage will be disease-free after five years.

Cancer-Related Deaths

• In 2008, more than 28,000 American men will lose their lives to prostate cancer. 

• Every 19 minutes, a man dies from prostate cancer in the United States.

Projections

• The number of new cases and deaths of prostate cancer is expected to increase dramatically over the next decade as baby boomer men age into the target zone for prostate cancer.

• If there is no change in prevention or treatment strategies, by 2015, there will be approximately 3 million men battling prostate cancer.

• If there are no better treatments or a cure for prostate cancer, by 2015, 45,000 men will die from the disease each year.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation

During the past 15 years, the Prostate Cancer Foundation has raised more than $350 million and provided funding for more than 1,400 research projects at nearly 150 institutions worldwide. The PCF has been a pioneer in the grant making process, simplifying paperwork for grantees, leaving more time for scientific investigators to conduct needed research. The PCF also advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more government resources, resulting in a twenty-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer. Learn how you can support our cause.