Urologists at the Henry Ford Health System have developed tables which enables physicians and their patients to estimate long-term survival for men with clinically localized prostate cancer. The tables are based on the patient's age, race, PSA and Gleason score, estimated annual income, and the number of other disease conditions (comorbidities) experienced by the individual. The tables are based on thorough analysis of data from 1611 men with clinically localized prostate cancer and 4538 matched controls. The mean age of the cancer patients was 69 years, 39% were black, and the average (median) PSA level was 8.5 ng/mL. Most of the patients (43%) had undergone radical prostatectomy, while 27% were treated with radiation therapy, and the remaining 29% either received no treatment or were treated with hormones (conservative treatment). Examples of estimated 10-year overall survival rates are as follows:

• 61- to 70-year-old, white male with a PSA level of 9.9 ng/mL or less, a Gleason score of less than 5, and no severe comorbid conditions. Average 10-year overall survival rate with:
  Conservation treatment – 75%
  Radiation therapy – 79%
  Radical prostatectomy – 89%
  No cancer (controls) – 85%

• 75-year-old, black male with a PSA level of between 10 and 19.9 ng/mL, a Gleason score of less than 5, and no severe comorbid conditions. Average 10-year survival rates with:
  Conservation treatment – 57%
  Radiation therapy – 63%
  Radical prostatectomy – 80%
  No cancer (controls) – 74%

It is interesting to note that the average PSA value for the 4538 cancer-free controls was 0.8 ng/mL as compared to 8.5 ng/mL in the cancer patients. It is clear that radical prostatectomy improves survival rates, particularly in patients with fairly advanced cancer (PSA level of 10 ng/mL or above).
Tewari, A, et al. Long-term survival probability in men with clinically localized prostate cancer. Journal of Urology, Vol. 171, April 2004, pp. 1513-19