From the Guidelines
A 66-year-old man with stage 2 prostate cancer can expect a life expectancy of approximately 10-15 years or longer after diagnosis, with a 5-year survival rate of around 90-95%. This prognosis is based on the fact that the cancer is still confined to the prostate gland and hasn't spread to nearby lymph nodes or other organs, as well as the effectiveness of modern treatments in controlling the disease 1. The life expectancy for a man of this age and with this condition can be estimated using the Social Security Administration Period Life Table, which suggests a life expectancy of 16.05 years for a 65-year-old American man, and can be adjusted based on the patient's overall health status 1. Some key factors that can influence life expectancy in this context include:
- The patient's overall health status and presence of comorbidities
- The Gleason score, which measures the aggressiveness of the cancer
- PSA levels and response to treatment
- The specific characteristics of the cancer and the patient's preferences for treatment. Treatment options for stage 2 prostate cancer typically include active surveillance, radical prostatectomy, radiation therapy, or hormone therapy, and the choice of treatment will depend on these individual factors 1. Regular follow-up appointments and PSA monitoring are essential for tracking the cancer's status and adjusting treatment approaches if necessary.
From the Research
Life Expectancy of a 66 Year Old with Stage 2 Prostate Cancer
- The life expectancy of a 66 year old with stage 2 prostate cancer is not directly addressed in the provided studies 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
- However, study 6 discusses the accuracy of patient life expectancy predictions by physicians in relation to prostate cancer management, and found that physicians tend to underestimate how long patients have left to live.
- Study 3 estimates the lifetime health and economic outcomes of active surveillance, radical prostatectomy, and radiotherapy for favorable-risk localized prostate cancer, but does not provide specific life expectancy data for a 66 year old with stage 2 prostate cancer.
- Studies 2, 4, 5 compare the outcomes of different treatments for prostate cancer, but do not provide direct information on life expectancy.
Treatment Outcomes
- Radical prostatectomy is associated with a greater decrease in sexual function and urinary incontinence than either external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) or active surveillance after 3 years 4.
- EBRT is associated with urinary, sexual, and bowel function changes that are not clinically different from active surveillance at any time point through 5 years 2.
- Radiotherapy combined with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is associated with improved prostate cancer-specific mortality compared with radical prostatectomy alone 5.
Predicting Life Expectancy
- Physicians tend to underestimate how long patients have left to live, with an average inaccuracy of 67.4% in relation to actual survival 6.
- The accuracy of life expectancy predictions does not vary significantly based on respondent factors such as sex, level of training, location of work, or specialty 6.