Prostate cancer statistics - Key Facts

• Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK. 
• A quarter of all new cases of cancer diagnosed in UK men are prostate cancers.
• In 2009 in the UK around 40,800 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, that's around 112 every day. 
• Over the last 40 years prostate cancer rates in Great Britain have tripled, although much of the increase is due to increased detection through widespread use of the PSA test.
• Three-quarters of prostate cancer cases are diagnosed in men aged over 65 years.
• In 2008, around 324,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in Europe (EU-27).
• Worldwide, around 899,000 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008. More than two out of three cases are diagnosed in the more developed regions.

Read more in depth prostate cancer incidence statistics.

section updated 04/05/12

• In the 1970s around three in ten men diagnosed with prostate cancer survived their disease beyond five years, now it’s more than eight in ten; however, much of this increase can be attributed to the increased use of PSA testing in the UK which has led to the diagnosis of many prostate cancers which would have gone undetected.
• Forty years ago only two in ten men diagnosed with prostate cancer survived their disease for at least ten years, now it is nearly seven in ten; however, much of this increase can be attributed to the increased use of PSA testing in the UK which has led to the diagnosis of many prostate cancers which would have gone undetected.

Read more in depth prostate cancer survival statistics.

section updated 04/05/12

• Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in UK men, after lung cancer.
• In 2010 in the UK around 10,700 men died from prostate cancer, that's around 29 every day.
• More than 9 in 10 prostate cancer deaths occur in men aged 65 and over.
• Prostate cancer death rates peaked in the early 1990s and have since fallen by around a fifth.
• It is estimated that more than 70,000 men in Europe (EU-27) died from prostate cancer in 2008.
• Worldwide an estimated 258,000 men died from prostate cancer in 2008.

Read more in depth prostate cancer mortality statistics.

section updated 04/05/12

• The strongest risk factor for prostate cancer is age, with very low risk in men under the age of 50, but risk increasing with age thereafter.
• Mutations in the BRCA2 gene increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. Men with one or more first-degree relatives (father, brother, or son) diagnosed with prostate cancer have an increased risk of prostate cancer, especially if the relative was diagnosed at an early age.
• Black men have a higher risk of prostate cancer than white men.
• Asian men have a lower risk of prostate cancer than white men.
• Evidence about lifestyle factors that may affect the risk of prostate cancer is inconclusive.

Read more in depth prostate cancer risk factors.

section updated 04/05/12

*age-standardised to the European standard population

More detailed prostate cancer statistics can be found using these links: incidence, survival, mortality, risk factors and screening.

section updated 04/05/12