FIGURE 1.

A plot of the likelihood of a man being diagnosed with prostate cancer, as reported in the literature during the 40 years between 1973 and 2013. A simple linear regression of the data (n = 38), when extrapolated into the future, suggests that by 2124 (in 110 years) half of all men can expect to diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Extending the line further, by 2275 (in 261 years) every man can expect to be diagnosed with the disease at some time during his life. See the text for a discussion of how incidence data in the form 1:5, 1:2, and 1:1 (that is, every man having the disease) might influence fear of prostate cancer, compared with a willingness to accept the disease as a chronic condition.