The epidemiology of prostate cancer part I: descriptive epidemiology.

The incidence and mortality of prostate cancer is highly varied among populations and especially among blacks and whites. The incidence rates of all American populations have dramatically changed over the past 25 years. The recent increase in incidence has been attributed to prostate cancer screening. Although the incidence has increased over the past 25 years, the mortality rates although vastly different between populations have remained rather stable within populations. Prostate cancer is still a disease that primarily afflicts older men. The median age at diagnosis is 71 years for whites and 69 years for blacks. More than 80% are over the age of 65 years. Screening for prostate cancer has dramatically increased the number of men with local disease at diagnosis, but it is unclear whether screening and aggressive treatment have caused a decrease in mortality.