States Renewing Attention to Prostate Cancer

An estimated 28,170 American men will die from prostate cancer in 2012, and about 241,740 new cases will be diagnosed, according to the National Cancer Institute. While prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer for men, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that its incidence and death rates declined by nearly 2 percent between 1999 and 2008. Risk factors may include age, family history, race and possibly diet. Incidence and death rates are higher among African Americans. Prostate cancers vary and affect people differently. Some progress rapidly and are fatal, but most progress slowly and do not result in death.