The American Cancer Society estimates that 179,300 new cases and 37,000 deaths from prostate cancer will occur in the United States in 1999.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in men after lung cancer.
The incidence of prostate cancer increases with age and the majority of prostate cancers are diagnosed in men who are older than 65 years. As the American population ages and as mortality from cardiovascular diseases falls, it is expected that cancer will become the most common cause of death during the early twenty first century. Therefore, prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer are imperative. The incidence of prostate, breast, and colon cancer is high in the United State as compared to that in Asian countries. It is interesting to note that Asian immigrants to the U.S. begin to approach prostate cancer risk, similar to that in men born in the U.S., within a few generations.