Global influence

The rate of prostate-cancer diagnosis varies more than 25-fold around the world. The incidence rate within a country is influenced by trends in diagnostic testing, which vary from place to place, as well as by the age and ethnic mix of a population.

Ethnicity effects

On the Caribbean island of Martinique men have a 26% chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer by age 74 — the highest in the world. But in Bhutan, the risk is just 0.14%. Ethnicity may play a part. English black men have much higher rates of the disease than Asian men2.

Looking for trouble

The rate of prostate-cancer diagnosis in the United States spiked after the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test was introduced in 1986 (ref.3). Testing men without symptoms is no longer recommended. In places where the test is used less, such as the United Kingdom, rates have increased only gradually4.

How deadly

Prostate is the second most common cancer in men worldwide, just behind lung cancer. But for every 30 lives lost to lung cancer, just 8 men will succumb to prostate cancer1.

A matter of time

Age is the greatest risk factor for prostate cancer. Most (97%) prostate cancers occur in men over 50. As they get older, men are more likely to develop prostate cancer5.

Man on the inside

The prostate gland is a male organ involved in sexual function. Its size ranges from that of a walnut to that of a small apple, and can become enlarged as a result of cancer, inflammation or benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Survival story

When prostate cancer is diagnosed early, before it has spread, chances of survival are much higher5.

A century of treatment

For localized prostate cancer, the most common intervention is surgical removal of the prostate — radical prostatectomy. If cancer has spread beyond the prostate it cannot be cured. Suppressing male hormones slows growth, but tumours can become resistant. Since 2004, therapies to target resistant metastatic cancer have gained US Food and Drug Administration approval.