Prostate cancer

One in 14 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer| during their lifetime. It is the most common cancer in men. Nearly 32,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.

Around 10,000 men in the UK die each year from prostate cancer, usually some years after they were diagnosed. It tends to occur in older men – nearly two out of every three prostate cancers (63%) are diagnosed in men over the age of 70.

Unlike many other cancers, prostate cancer is often present for years without the man who has it, or his doctor, knowing about it. This is because it is usually slow-growing and often doesn’t cause any symptoms at all during the man’s lifetime.

By the age of 80, over half of all men will have some cancer cells in their prostate; but only one in 30 of these men will actually die from it.

However, some types of prostate cancer are faster-growing and can spread to other parts of the body. If the cancer does spread it is most likely to be carried in the bloodstream to the bones, where it can cause pain and eventual death.