Prostate Cancer
Already the most common cancer in men, Prostate Cancer incidence has been increasing and currently affects approximately 200,000 men each year in the United States. In spite of these grim statistics, prostate cancer is far from being the deadliest form of cancer and survival rates are improving. Better survival rates are most likely due to improved treatment and diagnosis at an earlier state, both of which increase the chances for a cure.
Over time, African American men have had higher incidence and at least double the mortality rates compared to men of other racial and ethnic groups. Prostate cancer incidence rates rose dramatically in the late 1980s. This increase reflects improvements in detection and diagnosis through widespread use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, which received initial Food and Drug Administration approval in 1986. In the early 1990s, prostate cancer incidence began declining and has leveled off in recent years.
Mortality rates for prostate cancer have declined since the early 1990s. It is estimated that approximately $8 billion* is spent on prostate cancer treatment each year in the United States.
*In 2004 dollars, as reported in Brown ML, Riley GF, Schussler N, and Etzioni RD. Estimating health care costs related to cancer treatment from SEER-Medicare data. Medical Care 2002 Aug; 40 (8 Suppl): IV-104-17.
Source for incidence and mortality data: Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and the National Center for Health Statistics.
