Home > Cancer and Treatments > Prostate Cancer > Prostate Cancer Information > Prostate Cancer Education

Natural History and Signs and Symptoms

Prognosis and natural history of untreated prostate cancer

Survival depends on patient age at diagnosis, overall health, and tumor grade and stage at diagnosis. The natural history of prostate cancer is becoming increasingly better understood as long-term data become available.

Among untreated patients with clinically localized prostate cancer, those with a low Gleason score (5 or less) have a very small risk of dying of their cancer within 15 years (4%-7%), if their cancer is never treated. Men with Gleason score 6 cancers have a 15-30% risk of cancer death if untreated for 15 years. Those with Gleason score 7 cancers have a 50% risk of cancer death if untreated for 15 years. Those with poorly differentiated tumors (Gleason scores 8-10) have an 87% risk of succumbing to the disease within 15 years if untreated.

Continue Reading:

Signs and Symptoms:

• Early-stage disease
• Advanced disease

Return to the top of the page

Adjust text size