Male Life Expectancy

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Our Male Life Expectancy tool can be used by patients before treatment for prostate cancer. Patients answer some questions about their prostate cancer and their health in general. They are given the chance that, 15 years from now, they will die of untreated prostate cancer, die of some other cause, or be alive. These numbers can be used when discussing treatment options with cancer doctors.

Enter Your Information

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Disqualifying Treatments

If you have received either hormone or radiation therapy for prostate cancer, the results of this tool will not apply to you.

Have you gotten hormone therapy (e.g., Lupron, Taxotere, Casodex, Eulexin, or Zoladex) for prostate cancer OR plan to get it?
Have you gotten radiation therapy for prostate cancer OR plan to get it?

General Information

years (18 to 90)
ng/mL (0.1 to 100)

Gleason Pattern & Score Information

To use this tool successfully, you will need to know your primary and secondary Gleason pattern numbers.

How are Gleason patterns/scores determined?
Physicians characterize the aggressiveness of prostate cancer using the Gleason scoring system, which provides an estimate of the cancer’s potential to grow and spread to other parts of the body. The pathologist determines the Gleason pattern (also referred to as the grade) based on how closely the cells of the gland resemble those of a normal prostate. All the cores of tissue taken during a biopsy are examined by a pathologist, who assigns a pattern number to the largest area of cancer in each core (known as the primary Gleason pattern number), and a second pattern number to the next most common area (known as the secondary Gleason pattern number). The two pattern numbers added together are the Gleason score. If more than one biopsy core contains cancer cells, the patient’s overall Gleason score is determined by the core with the highest Gleason score.

Cancer Stages

More on prostate cancer staging

The following are clinical tumor stages for prostate cancer.

  • TX: cannot evaluate the primary tumor
  • T0: no evidence of tumor
  • T1: tumor present, but not detectable clinically or with imaging studies
    • T1a: tumor was incidentally found in less than 5% of prostate tissue resected (for other reasons)
    • T1b: tumor was incidentally found in more than 5% of prostate tissue resected
    • T1c: tumor was found in a needle biopsy performed following an elevated serum PSA result
  • T2: tumor can be felt (palpated) on examination, but has not spread outside the prostate
    • T2a: tumor is in half or less than half of one of the prostate gland's two lobes
    • T2b: tumor is in more than half of one lobe, but not both
    • T2c: tumor is in both lobes
  • T3: tumor has spread through the prostate capsule (If the tumor has spread only part-way through, it is still T3.)
    • T3a: tumor has spread through the capsule on one or both sides
    • T3b: tumor has invaded one or both seminal vesicles
  • T4: tumor has invaded other nearby structures

Health History

The following questions are about other illnesses that you may have. Have you ever had or been told you have any of the following?

Chest pain, also known as angina
Heart attack
Congestive heart failure (CHF), a “weak heart”, “water in the lungs”
Problem with a valve in your heart, such as aortic stenosis or a blockage in one of your heart valves
Atrial fibrillation (A Fib) or an irregular heartbeat
Abdominal aortic aneurysm or a widening of a major artery in your abdomen
Diabetes
Peripheral vascular disease (PVD), poor circulation, or claudication (pain and cramps while walking)
Deep vein thrombosis (blood clot in your leg, also called a DVT)
Pulmonary embolus (blood clot in your lung, also called a PE)
A transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke
A stroke (other than a TIA)
Asthma

Cholesterol

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is described as one number “over” another number, such as “115 over 70.” If you are taking pills for your blood pressure, tell us about your blood pressure when you are on the pills.

Smoking History

Have you ever smoked more than 100 cigarettes (5 packs = 100 cigarettes) in your life?
In the past 30 days, have you smoked cigarettes (even a single puff)?