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Statistics at a Glance

At a Glance

Estimated New Cases in 2018 164,690

% of All New Cancer Cases 9.5%

Estimated Deaths in 2018 29,430

% of All Cancer Deaths 4.8%

Percent Surviving
5 Years

98.2% 2008-2014
Year New Cases - SEER 9 New Cases - SEER 13 Deaths - U.S. Percent Surviving 5 Years - SEER 9
Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend Observed Modeled Trend
1975 93.99 92.97 - - 30.97 31.42 66.33% 66.90%
1976 97.95 95.38 - - 31.78 31.71 68.69% 67.78%
1977 100.48 97.85 - - 31.83 32.00 69.19% 68.65%
1978 99.40 100.38 - - 32.66 32.29 69.51% 69.49%
1979 103.42 102.98 - - 32.84 32.58 71.23% 70.32%
1980 106.05 105.64 - - 33.05 32.87 70.56% 71.13%
1981 108.88 108.38 - - 33.17 33.17 72.05% 71.93%
1982 108.25 111.18 - - 33.36 33.47 72.22% 72.70%
1983 111.63 114.06 - - 33.92 33.78 72.71% 73.46%
1984 111.69 117.01 - - 34.06 34.08 73.48% 74.20%
1985 115.52 120.03 - - 33.91 34.39 75.31% 74.93%
1986 119.10 123.14 - - 34.93 34.70 77.31% 75.64%
1987 133.78 126.33 - - 35.11 35.02 80.70% 80.36%
1988 137.63 129.60 - - 35.88 36.08 83.49% 84.26%
1989 145.41 150.94 - - 37.10 37.18 84.68% 87.44%
1990 171.12 175.80 - - 38.56 38.31 88.71% 90.02%
1991 214.87 204.75 - - 39.31 39.47 92.89% 92.10%
1992 237.53 238.47 234.27 232.41 39.22 39.28 96.35% 93.76%
1993 209.63 211.01 207.18 206.71 39.34 39.09 95.44% 95.08%
1994 180.40 186.72 177.59 183.84 38.54 38.90 94.90% 96.12%
1995 169.53 165.22 166.67 163.51 37.29 37.25 95.90% 96.95%
1996 169.64 168.83 166.86 166.75 36.00 35.67 96.69% 97.60%
1997 173.77 172.52 172.03 170.05 34.15 34.15 97.74% 98.12%
1998 171.20 176.29 169.89 173.42 32.63 32.71 98.36% 98.52%
1999 183.69 180.15 180.48 176.85 31.56 31.57 99.42% 98.84%
2000 183.33 184.09 179.10 180.36 30.39 30.47 99.09% 99.09%
2001 185.33 181.02 180.33 177.15 29.52 29.42 99.96% 99.29%
2002 182.64 178.00 178.18 174.00 28.71 28.39 99.94% 99.44%
2003 170.09 175.03 165.67 170.91 27.19 27.41 99.50% 99.56%
2004 166.23 172.11 165.67 167.87 26.19 26.46 99.84% 99.66%
2005 156.98 169.24 154.31 164.88 25.40 25.54 99.39% 99.73%
2006 172.48 166.42 164.97 161.95 24.24 24.65 99.79% 99.79%
2007 175.55 163.65 168.30 159.07 24.23 23.80 99.87% 99.84%
2008 158.36 160.92 153.79 156.24 23.01 22.97 99.40% 99.73%
2009 155.54 158.23 150.74 153.47 22.12 22.17 99.45% 99.55%
2010 148.21 146.04 144.22 141.34 21.81 21.40 99.57% 99.25%
2011 141.99 134.78 137.85 130.16 20.78 20.66 - 98.77%
2012 116.08 124.39 112.72 119.88 19.56 19.94 - 97.97%
2013 110.72 114.80 107.12 110.40 19.26 19.25 - 96.65%
2014 101.21 105.95 97.85 101.67 19.10 19.09 - 94.52%
2015 105.00 97.78 99.00 93.64 18.93 18.93 - 91.09%

Modeled trend lines were calculated from the underlying rates using the Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software.

Number of New Cases and Deaths per 100,000: The number of new cases of prostate cancer was 112.6 per 100,000 men per year. The number of deaths was 19.5 per 100,000 men per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2011-2015 cases and deaths.

Lifetime Risk of Developing Cancer: Approximately 11.2 percent of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2013-2015 data.

Prevalence of This Cancer: In 2015, there were an estimated 3,120,176 men living with prostate cancer in the United States.

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Survival Statistics

How Many People Survive 5 Years Or More after Being Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer?

Relative survival statistics compare the survival of patients diagnosed with cancer with the survival of people in the general population who are the same age, race, and sex and who have not been diagnosed with cancer. Because survival statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. No two patients are entirely alike, and treatment and responses to treatment can vary greatly.

98.2%

Percent Surviving
5 Years

98.2%

Based on data from SEER 18 2008-2014. Gray figures represent those who have died from prostate cancer. Green figures represent those who have survived 5 years or more.

Additional Information

Survival by Stage

Cancer stage at diagnosis, which refers to extent of a cancer in the body, determines treatment options and has a strong influence on the length of survival. In general, if the cancer is found only in the part of the body where it started it is localized (sometimes referred to as stage 1). If it has spread to a different part of the body, the stage is regional or distant. The earlier prostate cancer is caught, the better chance a person has of surviving five years after being diagnosed. For prostate cancer, 78.2% are diagnosed at the local stage. The 5-year survival for localized prostate cancer is 100.0%.

Percent of Cases & 5-Year Relative Survival by Stage at Diagnosis: Prostate Cancer
Stage Percent of Cases 5-Year Relative Survival
Localized
Confined to Primary Site		 78% 100.0%
Regional
Spread to Regional Lymph Nodes		 12% 100.0%
Distant
Cancer has Metastasized		 5% 30.0%
Unknown
Unstaged		 4% 80.9%

SEER 18 2008-2014, All Races, Males by SEER Summary Stage 2000

Additional Information

Number of New Cases and Deaths

How Common Is This Cancer?

Compared to other cancers, prostate cancer is fairly common.

Rank Common Types of Cancer Estimated New
Cases 2018		 Estimated
Deaths 2018
1. Breast Cancer (Female) 266,120 40,920
2. Lung and Bronchus Cancer 234,030 154,050
3. Prostate Cancer 164,690 29,430
4. Colorectal Cancer 140,250 50,630
5. Melanoma of the Skin 91,270 9,320
6. Bladder Cancer 81,190 17,240
7. Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 74,680 19,910
8. Kidney and Renal Pelvis Cancer 65,340 14,970
9. Uterine Cancer 63,230 11,350
10. Leukemia 60,300 24,370

Prostate cancer represents 9.5% of all new cancer cases in the U.S.

9.5%

In 2018, it is estimated that there will be 164,690 new cases of prostate cancer and an estimated 29,430 people will die of this disease.

Who Gets This Cancer?

Prostate cancer occurs only in men, and it is more common in older men than younger men. It is more likely to occur in men with a family history of prostate cancer and men of African American descent. The number of new cases of prostate cancer was 112.6 per 100,000 men per year based on 2011-2015 cases.

Number of New Cases per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity: Prostate Cancer
Males
All Races 112.6
White 105.7
Black 178.3
Asian/Pacific Islander 59.1
American Indian/Alaska Native 54.8
Hispanic 91.8
Non-Hispanic 116.1
Females
All Races Sex-specific cancer type
White
Black
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian/Alaska Native
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic

SEER 18 2011-2015, Age-Adjusted

Percent of New Cases by Age Group: Prostate Cancer
Age Range Percent of New Cases
<20 0.0%
20-34 0.0%
35-44 0.5%
45-54 9.0%
55-64 32.7%
65-74 38.8%
75-84 15.1%
>84 3.9%

Prostate cancer is most frequently diagnosed among men aged 65-74.

Median Age
At Diagnosis

66

SEER 18 2011-2015, All Races, Males

Who Dies From This Cancer?

Because we have screening for prostate cancer, most of the time it is caught before it spreads to other parts of the body. Men who have prostate cancer that is characterized as localized or regional are not as likely to die as men whose cancer is distant. In general prostate cancer has excellent survival rates, but death rates are higher in African American men, men who have advanced stage cancer, and men who are between the ages of 75 and 84. Prostate cancer is the sixth leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The number of deaths was 19.5 per 100,000 men per year based on 2011-2015.

Number of Deaths per 100,000 Persons by Race/Ethnicity: Prostate Cancer
Males
All Races 19.5
White 18.2
Black 39.9
Asian/Pacific Islander 8.8
American Indian/Alaska Native 19.8
Hispanic 16.2
Non-Hispanic 19.8
Females
All Races Sex-specific cancer type
White
Black
Asian/Pacific Islander
American Indian/Alaska Native
Hispanic
Non-Hispanic

U.S. 2011-2015, Age-Adjusted

Percent of Deaths by Age Group: Prostate Cancer
Age Range Percent of Deaths
<20 0.0%
20-34 0.0%
35-44 0.1%
45-54 1.5%
55-64 9.2%
65-74 21.7%
75-84 34.0%
>84 33.5%

The percent of prostate cancer deaths is highest among men aged 75-84.

Median Age
At Death

80

U.S. 2011-2015, All Races, Males

Trends in Rates

Changes Over Time

Keeping track of the number of new cases, deaths, and survival over time (trends) can help scientists understand whether progress is being made and where additional research is needed to address challenges, such as improving screening or finding better treatments.

Using statistical models for analysis, rates for new prostate cancer cases have been falling on average 5.7% each year over the last 10 years. Death rates have been falling on average 2.9% each year over 2006-2015. 5-year survival trends are shown below.

New Cases, Deaths and 5-Year Relative Survival
View Data Table

More About This Cancer

Cancer and the Prostate

Illustration of prostate.
Figure: Prostate and Nearby Organs
Click to enlarge.
Figure: Prostate and Nearby Organs

Figure: Anatomy diagram shows the prostate, urethra, penis, testicle, bladder, lymph nodes, seminal vesicle, and rectum are labeled. An inset provides a close-up view of the prostate, urethra, bladder, seminal vesicles, and rectum.

This cancer forms in tissues of the prostate (a gland in the male reproductive system found below the bladder and in front of the rectum). The prostate surrounds the urethra, the tube through which urine flows. A healthy prostate is about the size of a walnut. If the prostate grows too large, it squeezes the urethra. This may slow or stop the normal flow of urine. Prostate cancer usually occurs in older men.

Additional Information

More Information

Here are some resources for learning more about prostate cancer.

References

All statistics in this report are based on statistics from SEER and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics. Most can be found within:

Noone AM, Howlader N, Krapcho M, Miller D, Brest A, Yu M, Ruhl J, Tatalovich Z, Mariotto A, Lewis DR, Chen HS, Feuer EJ, Cronin KA (eds). SEER Cancer Statistics Review, 1975-2015, National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/csr/1975_2015/, based on November 2017 SEER data submission, posted to the SEER web site, April 2018.

Suggested Citation

All material in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

SEER Cancer Stat Facts: Prostate Cancer. National Cancer Institute. Bethesda, MD, https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/prost.html

These stat facts focus on population statistics that are based on the U.S. population. Because these statistics are based on large groups of people, they cannot be used to predict exactly what will happen to an individual patient. To see tailored statistics, browse the SEER Cancer Statistics Review. To see statistics for a specific state, go to the State Cancer Profiles.

The statistics presented in these stat facts are based on the most recent data available, most of which can be found in the SEER Cancer Statistics Review. In some cases, different year spans may be used. Estimates for the current year are based on past data.

Cancer is a complex topic. There is a wide range of information available. These stat facts do not address causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up care, or decision making, although links are provided to information in many of these areas.