This video is part of NCI's Did You Know? series, which highlights key topics and trends in cancer statistics.
Did you know that nearly 2.8 million men in the United States are now living with prostate cancer? In 2012, an estimated 28,000 men will die of this disease.
For reasons that are not fully understood, the risk of dying of prostate cancer varies across racial and ethnic groups. For a 60-year-old man, the risk of ever dying of prostate cancer is about 3 percent. Black men have a higher risk of dying of prostate cancer in their lifetime than Hispanic or white men. Black men have more than twice the risk of dying of prostate cancer than men of Asian or Pacific Island origin.
If you are diagnosed with prostate cancer, talk with your doctor about medical options.
Not everyone with prostate cancer needs to be treated. For many men, "active surveillance" may be the best option. Active surveillance means the doctor closely watches the patient's condition but does not treat it unless symptoms appear or test results show the cancer is becoming more advanced. This approach is often preferred because prostate cancer treatment can have serious side effects, such as urinary incontinence, impotence, and other adverse events.
Your doctor can help you make decisions about the best treatment options for you based on your age, race, and health.
For more about the Did You Know? series, please see http://seer.cancer.gov/statistics/videos/ .
Link to this comment:
All Comments (0)