Seriousness of Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is different in different people. Sometimes it stays in the prostate gland, growing very slowly, and has little or no effect on a man as long as he lives. Prostate cancer is somewhat unique among cancers in this respect. The majority of cases never develop into serious disease. In fact, about 7 out of 10 men diagnosed with prostate cancer die from other causes. For the average American man at age 50, the chance of developing some evidence of prostate cancer is estimated to be about 42 out of 100. About 10 out of 100 will develop symptoms from it. And, about 3 to 4 out of 100 men will die from prostate cancer. This is about 3 out of 10 who are actually diagnosed with it. So, for some, it is a very serious disease. But for the majority it is not. Unfortunately, doctors cannot predict which cases will be aggressive and which will not.
