Many uncertainties persist regarding the early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.
But prostate cancer is unlike many other cancers in that it often grows very slowly. On the other hand, before early detection tests were widely used, most men with prostate cancer were diagnosed with advanced disease, and most died within a few years of the diagnosis. Although early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer can help some men to live longer, it may have no impact on the life span of other men. For a man with a life expectancy of less than 10 years, there is no need to make an early diagnosis of prostate cancer since prostate cancer treatments can affect a man's quality of life. But it has not been conclusively proven that this is a direct result of early detection.