An American man dies from prostate cancer every 15 minutes
About Prostate Cancer
Veterans Prostate Cancer Awareness (VPCa) is dedicated to saving lives by promoting prostate cancer awareness, early detection, and providing solutions among Veterans, active-duty military, and all men.
What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. This is sometimes a slow-growing Cancer. However, the cancer cells may metastasize (spread) from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly the bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may cause pain, difficulty in urinating, problems during sexual intercourse, or erectile dysfunction. Other symptoms can potentially develop during later stages of the disease. Prostate cancer can be diagnosed by a blood test called prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and a digital rectal examination (DRE). Prostate Cancer can be a deadly killer if not diagnosed early. Prostate Cancer is the second leading cancer killer of men next to lung cancer.
Prostate Cancer is also known as a “Silent Disease,” meaning there are very few symptoms related to the early stages. The information presented here is to help men who do not have prostate symptoms decide if they want to be tested. If you have prostate symptoms now, such as urgency to urinate, pain when you pass urine, blood in your urine, or trouble passing urine, see your doctor. These are often symptoms of other non-cancer prostate problems, but they can also be caused by prostate cancer, so you should speak with a doctor about them as soon as possible.
Prostate Cancer Facts & Figures
An American man dies from prostate cancer every 15 minutes. That’s a little more than 93 deaths per day and 34,130 this year, which is 3 times the number of Veterans laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.
1 in 8 American men will develop prostate cancer during their lifetime. It is the second leading cause of cancer death in males and is the most diagnosed. In 2021, The American Cancer Society estimates that 248m539 men will be diagnosed. Currently, over 3.1 million American men live with the disease – roughly equal to the population of Chicago.
All men are at risk of developing prostate cancer, but that risk increases significantly as men grow older.
African American men are considered “high risk” for developing prostate cancer and dying. The high survival rates for prostate cancer continue over time. The overall 10-year survival rate is 98%, and the 15-year survival rate is 96%. However, for “distant” or metastatic prostate cancer, or cancer that has spread to bones, organs, or distant lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate drops from nearly 100% to 30%. “Distant” prostate cancer is more commonly known as advanced or metastatic prostate cancer.
There are over 9 million Veterans who receive healthcare from the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) out of that approximately 500,000 live with prostate cancer, and over 16, 000 with a metastatic form. It is also is reported that 15,000 Veterans are diagnosed each year with the system. Early detection offers the best hope of living cancer- free for a long time.