What Is The Prostate Cancer Survival Rate

By nature, prostate cancer is a slow growing type of cancer. In most cases, the slow growth of the cancer cells often save the victim and extend his life expectancy. However, there are also cases where the cancer cells would growth fast and spread rapidly. Up to now, doctors still have no proper explanations why prostate cancer would spread rapidly in other patients and why it would tend to grow very slowly in others. Some experts believe that such difference in the growth of cancer cells in different people actually have something to do with the individuals diet and lifestyle. As a rule of thumb, the better, the diet and lifestyle of the patient, the higher the prostate cancer survival rate.

However, we could never over emphasize the importance of early detection when it comes to cancer be it prostate cancer or something else. The earlier the prostate cancer is diagnosed, the better the chances of successful treatment. According to the American Cancer Society, currently, the 5-year survival rate in men having cancer is pegged at nearly 100% in cases where the cancer is still confined in the prostate. For cases where the cancer is still in the prostate and the surrounding areas, the 5-year survival rate is still high at 91%. However, for those cases which are diagnosed late, the chances of attaining the 5-year survival is reduced to as low as 34%. Of course there are a lot cases where the patient lives longer than the 5-year survival period. Some would even survive for more than 10 years depending on the countenance of the patient.

They lifestyle and diet of the patient would also play and important role in the increase or decrease of the patient's survival rate. In cases where the patients smoke and continues to smoke even after he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the number of years that the patient could survive is greatly reduced. Studies show that smoking could increase the risk of prostate cancer in men and would weaken their immune system.

Prostate Cancer In The News


-----------------------------------------------------------------

A weak immune system has lower chances of fighting off infections, which could aggravate the medical situation of the patient. Such phenomenon is not confined to prostate cancer alone but in almost all other types of ailments where the patient continues to smoke even after he had been diagnosed. Accordingly, smoking interferes with the body's ability to absorb proper nutrients to nourish itself. Smoking also has some effects on the absorption of medicines in the body and would have some negative chemical reaction with the drug, thereby reducing the drugs therapeutic effects.

According to some experts, the human body has the ability to heal itself to some extent. In cases of prostate cancer, there are instances where the natural reaction of the body would contribute to the slowing down of cancer cell growth. Proper nutrition and exercise would often strengthen the patient's immune system and enable to it fight back the invading cancer cells. In almost all instances, prostate cancer patients who adopted healthy lifestyle after diagnosis would have longer life expectancy that those who continue with their unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

Related Prostate Treatment Tips and Articles