Men, how long are you going to live with or without prostate cancer? If youre being honest, you really dont know. We all have a life expectancy based upon general statistical probabilities but none of us know how or when were going to die.

No matter what the illness or disease that may inflict us including prostate cancer, we still cant be certain when were going to die. We know at some point our own mortality will become evident. Just because you may have prostate cancer however, doesnt mean youve been given a death sentence.

Here are some facts about prostate cancer

1. Prostate cancer is generally considered a slow growing carcinoma. This means you may have many high quality of life years ahead of you... that is if youre not hit by a truck on the way to work on the freeway.

2. Prostate cancer typically advances through four major stages. At what stage youre diagnosed with prostate cancer, will determine your probable chances of dying due to complications of the cancer.

3. As you get older, your risk of contracting prostate cancer rises. Men have a lifetime risk or chance of contracting a prostate malignancy of about one in 10 that increases as we get older. Good news! Youve survived into your 70s. Bad news... your risk of prostate cancer is one in three.

4. Prostate cancer is considered basically a geriatric disease. That is, the great majority of men, under the age of 60 will not be diagnosed with a cancerous prostate. Remember fact number three above though as your risk increases greatly after age 60.

According to such well known cancer societies and cancer associations as the American Cancer Society, about 92 percent of all the men diagnosed with prostate cancer survive at least five years after the initial diagnosis. Although such a prognosis may seem like less time than you expected, remember that prostate cancer is considered a disease of the aged and many men who contract the disease are well into their 60s and 70s.

So your life expectancy after a diagnosis of prostate cancer, will depend on what stage the cancerous tumor has progressed to, your age and willingness to consider all treatment options. In the end, prostate cancer survivability rests with early diagnosis and effective treatment