Because other types of prostate cancer are so rare, when someone speaks of prostate cancer it is assumed they are referring to a prostatic adenocarcinoma, unless they specifically mention some other cell type. Older men are more likely to have this condition. PIN is classified as either low grade or high grade. If a person has high grade PIN, repeat biopsies and PSA tests should be done regularly. PIN may lead to the development of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers, in American men.
The American Cancer Society estimates during 2000 approximately 180,400 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, exceeded only by lung cancer. The American Cancer Society estimates that 31,900 men in the United States will die of this disease during 2000. The 5-year survival rates discussed in this section refer to the percent of men who live at least 5 years after their cancer is diagnosed. It is important to remember that many of these men live much longer than 5 years after diagnosis.