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Life expectancy with prostate cancer
How Long Will I Live With Prostate Cancer?
Last updated and reviewed on March 26, 2026.
Prostate Cancer causes cells in your prostate gland to grow too fast and form a tumor. This article explains how many people are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the United States and around the world.
This page also includes information about survival rates. For many people, their first question after a prostate cancer diagnosis is “what is my prognosis?” or “how long will I live after a prostate cancer diagnosis?” But it is important to remember that every person is different, and researchers are always studying new treatments.
It is also important to remember that these statistics tell us about groups of people, not individuals. Statistics can be hard to understand. Always talk to your doctor about your specific diagnosis and what these statistics mean for you.
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Some people may choose not to read about statistics after their diagnosis. If you do not want to read about survival statistics, consider reading another part of this guide. The next section in this guide is How Prostate Cancer is Diagnosed, which covers the different types of tests used to confirm a prostate cancer diagnosis and understand more about it. If you have already received a prostate cancer diagnosis, consider skipping ahead to How is Prostate Cancer Staged and Classified. |
How many people are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year?
In the United States, an estimated 333,830 people will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2026. About 15.4% of all new cancer cases in the United States are prostate cancer. Globally, there were 1,500,000 people diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022.
An estimated 36,320 people will die of prostate cancer in 2026 in the United States. About 5.8% of all cancer deaths in the United States are due to prostate cancer. Worldwide, an estimated 397,000 people died of prostate cancer in 2022.
What is the survival rate of prostate cancer?
Researchers use a statistic called the relative survival rate to understand how long most people live after receiving a specific cancer diagnosis. This number is a percentage out of 100 that compares people with a disease and people without a disease.
As an example, let’s compare two imaginary groups of 100 people. Group A does not have cancer. Group B does have cancer. After five years, 90 people in Group A are still alive. In Group B, 60 people are still alive. This means that the 5-year relative survival rate for the cancer is 66.7%. This is because 66.7% of 90 is 60.
It is important to remember that survival rates are estimates. These numbers describe populations. They do not predict outcomes for individual people. This percentage cannot tell you how long you will live after a prostate cancer diagnosis.
The 5-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer is 98%. It is also important to remember that relative survival rates are measured every 5 years. That means this percentage may not include recent advances in treatments.
Is Prostate Cancer Curable
As of March 2026, the short answer is yes, prostate cancer is highly curable when detected early, but the term "cure" becomes more complex if the cancer has spread.
Physicians generally categorize the "curability" of prostate cancer into three distinct buckets based on how far it has moved.
Localized prostate cancer (stages I and II). Localized prostate cancer is considered highly curable. The 5-year relative survival rate for localized prostate cancer in the U.S. is currently over 99.8%. Sometimes, low-risk prostate cancers don’t always need treatment right away. They can be monitored with a “watch-and-wait” strategy to see if the prostate cancer grows before beginning treatment. This is called active surveillance. When treatment is needed, surgery and radiation therapy can often remove all of the cancer.
Regional Prostate Cancer (Stage III). Regional prostate cancer has spread just outside the prostate to nearby tissues or lymph nodes in the pelvis. This stage of prostate cancer is often curable, but may require different types of treatment, including surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy. The 5-year relative survival rate for regional prostate cancer is still very high at 97.9%.
Metastatic Prostate Cancer (Stage IV). Metastatic prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body, like the bones, liver, or lungs. It is currently considered not curable by standard medical definitions. However, depending on different factors, prostate cancer may be treated like a chronic condition, like diabetes. New treatment breakthroughs have allowed many men with stage IV cancer to achieve deep, long-lasting remissions that were impossible a decade ago.
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What’s Next: The next page in this guide is How Prostate Cancer is Diagnosed. If you would like to read another page in this guide, return to the Understanding Prostate Cancer page or choose another page from the menu. |
How Long Will I Live With Prostate Cancer?
Last updated and reviewed on March 26, 2026.
Prostate Cancer causes cells in your prostate gland to grow too fast and form a tumor. This article explains how many people are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the United States and around the world.
This page also includes information about survival rates. For many people, their first question after a prostate cancer diagnosis is “what is my prognosis?” or “how long will I live after a prostate cancer diagnosis?” But it is important to remember that every person is different, and researchers are always studying new treatments.
It is also important to remember that these statistics tell us about groups of people, not individuals. Statistics can be hard to understand. Always talk to your doctor about your specific diagnosis and what these statistics mean for you.
|
Some people may choose not to read about statistics after their diagnosis. If you do not want to read about survival statistics, consider reading another part of this guide. The next section in this guide is How Prostate Cancer is Diagnosed, which covers the different types of tests used to confirm a prostate cancer diagnosis and understand more about it. If you have already received a prostate cancer diagnosis, consider skipping ahead to How is Prostate Cancer Staged and Classified. |
How many people are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year?
In the United States, an estimated 333,830 people will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2026. About 15.4% of all new cancer cases in the United States are prostate cancer. Globally, there were 1,500,000 people diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022.
An estimated 36,320 people will die of prostate cancer in 2026 in the United States. About 5.8% of all cancer deaths in the United States are due to prostate cancer. Worldwide, an estimated 397,000 people died of prostate cancer in 2022.
What is the survival rate of prostate cancer?
Researchers use a statistic called the relative survival rate to understand how long most people live after receiving a specific cancer diagnosis. This number is a percentage out of 100 that compares people with a disease and people without a disease.
As an example, let’s compare two imaginary groups of 100 people. Group A does not have cancer. Group B does have cancer. After five years, 90 people in Group A are still alive. In Group B, 60 people are still alive. This means that the 5-year relative survival rate for the cancer is 66.7%. This is because 66.7% of 90 is 60.
It is important to remember that survival rates are estimates. These numbers describe populations. They do not predict outcomes for individual people. This percentage cannot tell you how long you will live after a prostate cancer diagnosis.
The 5-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer is 98%. It is also important to remember that relative survival rates are measured every 5 years. That means this percentage may not include recent advances in treatments.
Is Prostate Cancer Curable
As of March 2026, the short answer is yes, prostate cancer is highly curable when detected early, but the term "cure" becomes more complex if the cancer has spread.
Physicians generally categorize the "curability" of prostate cancer into three distinct buckets based on how far it has moved.
Localized prostate cancer (stages I and II). Localized prostate cancer is considered highly curable. The 5-year relative survival rate for localized prostate cancer in the U.S. is currently over 99.8%. Sometimes, low-risk prostate cancers don’t always need treatment right away. They can be monitored with a “watch-and-wait” strategy to see if the prostate cancer grows before beginning treatment. This is called active surveillance. When treatment is needed, surgery and radiation therapy can often remove all of the cancer.
Regional Prostate Cancer (Stage III). Regional prostate cancer has spread just outside the prostate to nearby tissues or lymph nodes in the pelvis. This stage of prostate cancer is often curable, but may require different types of treatment, including surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy. The 5-year relative survival rate for regional prostate cancer is still very high at 97.9%.
Metastatic Prostate Cancer (Stage IV). Metastatic prostate cancer has spread to other parts of the body, like the bones, liver, or lungs. It is currently considered not curable by standard medical definitions. However, depending on different factors, prostate cancer may be treated like a chronic condition, like diabetes. New treatment breakthroughs have allowed many men with stage IV cancer to achieve deep, long-lasting remissions that were impossible a decade ago.
|
What’s Next: The next page in this guide is How Prostate Cancer is Diagnosed. If you would like to read another page in this guide, return to the Understanding Prostate Cancer page or choose another page from the menu. |
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