Prostate Cancer Related Statistics

The following is excerpt from the Prostate Cancer Foundation's website. I have reproduced the information here, but encourage all readers to visit the above website.

What Chance have I Got?

The likelihood for a diagnosis of prostate cancer among men in Australia today can be categorised by age as shown below:

# For a man in his 40's there is a 1 in 1000 chance of
prostate cancer.

# For a man in his 50' s there is a 12 in 1000 chance
of prostate cancer.

# For a man in his 60' s there is a 45 in 1000
chance of prostate cancer.

# For a man in his 70's there is a 80 in 1000
chance of prostate cancer.

Further Statistics:

1. Each year in Australia, close to 3000 men die of prostate cancer - equal to the number of women who die from breast cancer annually. Around 18,700 new cases are diagnosed in Australia every year.

2. Each day about 32 men learn news that they have prostate cancer - tragically one man every three hours will lose his battle against this insidious disease.

3. One in 9 men in Australia will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.

4. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australian men and is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men.

5. As many men die from prostate cancer as women die from breast cancer but... a national survey by PCFA in 2002 showed that while 78% of women felt well informed about breast cancer – only 52% of men felt informed about prostate cancer.

The chance of developing prostate cancer increases:

a) As men get older.

b) If there is a family history of prostate cancer eg a man with a father or brother diagnosed with prostate cancer.

NOTE:

* Early, curable prostate cancer may not have symptoms. While younger men are less likely to be diagnosed with it, they are more likely to die prematurely from it.

* Simple testing by a GP can indicate prostate cancer.

* Early detection can be achieved with PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) blood test or DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) testing. Our research in 2002 shows that only 10% of men surveyed between the ages of 50 and 70 had taken these tests in the previous year.

Some groups are at greater risk of prostate cancer ... for example,

i) for every 100 men who dies of prostate cancer in a metropolitan area of Australia (such as Melbourne or Sydney) 121 men will die in rural Australia.
Various factors may include lack of awareness and education about prostate
cancer, distance from testing and treatment, poor GP awareness and limited
access to specialists (such as urologists).

(ii) The Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia states that veterans have a 53% higher mortality rate from prostate cancer than the average population.

(iii) A recently published international study showed that firefighters have a 28% higher risk of prostate cancer.