Survival Rates for Prostate Cancer

Survival rates can give you an idea of what percentage of people with the same type and stage of cancer are still alive a certain amount of time (usually 5 years) after they were diagnosed.

How do the numbers apply to you?

Survival rates can’t tell you how long you will live, but they may help give you a better understanding of how likely it is that your treatment will be successful.

Keep in mind that survival rates are estimates and are often based on previous outcomes of large numbers of people who had a specific cancer, but they can’t predict what will happen in any particular person’s case. These statistics can be confusing and may lead you to have more questions. Ask your doctor how these numbers might apply to you.

What is a 5-year relative survival rate?

A relative survival rate compares people with the same type and stage of cancer to people in the overall population. For example, if the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific stage of prostate cancer is 90%, it means that men who have that cancer are, on average, about 90% as likely as men who don’t have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed.

Where do these numbers come from?

The American Cancer Society relies on information from the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results) database, maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to provide survival statistics for different types of cancer.

The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for prostate cancer in the United States, based on how far the cancer has spread. The SEER database, however, doesn’t group cancers by AJCC TNM stages (stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, etc.). Instead it groups cancers into localized, regional, and distant stages.

• Localized: There is no sign that the cancer has spread outside the prostate.
• Regional: The cancer has spread outside the prostate to nearby structures or lymph nodes.
• Distant: The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, liver, or bones.

Prostate cancer 5-year relative survival rates

These numbers are based on men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 2013 and 2019.

SEER* Stage	5-year Relative Survival Rate
Localized	>99%
Regional	>99%
Distant	34%
All SEER stages combined	97%

 

Understanding the numbers

• These numbers apply only to the stage of the cancer when it is first diagnosed. They do not apply later on if the cancer grows, spreads, or comes back after treatment.
• These numbers don’t take everything into account. Survival rates are grouped based on how far the cancer has spread, but your age and overall health; test results, such as the PSA level and Grade Group of the cancer; how well the cancer responds to treatment; and other factors can also affect your outlook.
• Men now being diagnosed with prostate cancer may have a better outlook than these numbers show. Treatments for prostate cancer have improved over time, and these numbers are based on men who were diagnosed and treated at least 5 years earlier.