Being older than 50 is the main risk for prostate cancer. A risk is anything that makes you more likely to get a particular disease. More than 70% of new prostate cancers are diagnosed in men who are older than 65.²

Your chances of getting the disease are higher if other men in your family have had it. Your risk is doubled if your father or brother developed prostate cancer. Your risk increases even more if those relatives were diagnosed before they were 55.¹ Most men who get prostate cancer have no family history of the disease.

Most men will die with prostate cancer but not of prostate cancer.³ Your chances of dying from the disease depend on:

• Your overall health.
• Your age when the cancer is diagnosed.
• Your ethnicity. Blacks are more likely than whites to die from prostate cancer.⁴ Experts say that this could be because of genetics, diet, where people live, and/or access to health care.⁵
• How large your cancer has grown. This is called the stage of your cancer.
• Whether your cancer is slow-growing or fast-growing. This is called the grade of your cancer. Faster-growing cancers are a higher grade of cancer and are more likely to reappear after treatment or to spread to other parts of the body.

If you have prostate cancer, your chances of dying from it are influenced by:

• A high-fat diet. Studies have shown that men who have prostate cancer are more likely to see their cancer advance if they have a high-fat diet.⁴
• Having a higher grade of cancer. Cancers with higher grades grow faster and are more likely to cause death.⁶
• Being obese. Studies have shown that men who have prostate cancer are more likely to die from the disease if they have a body mass index of 30 or higher.^{7, 8}

You have a greater chance of developing metastatic prostate cancer if you have had prostate cancer before.

Race and prostate cancer survival

Black men have a bigger chance of getting the kind of prostate cancer that grows and spreads. Researchers are not sure why there is a difference in disease and death rates among different races. Some experts think there may be a genetic link. Some research suggests that access to health care may play a role in survival rates.⁹

Ethnicity and 5-year survival (percentage of men who survive for 5 years or more after prostate cancer is diagnosed)⁴

The 5-year survival rate shows the percentage of men who are still alive 5 years or longer after they are diagnosed. It is important to remember that these are only averages. Everyone’s case is different, and these numbers do not show what will happen in your case.