Introduction: Over the past two decades, prostate cancer has become the most common cancer among men. This study describes trends in incidence, mortality, and survival from 1980 to 2011 in metropolitan France, as well as the distribution of prognostic markers in two cross-sectional studies conducted in 2001 and 2008. Method: Incidence data were obtained from cancer registries. The national incidence estimate was based on the use of mortality as a proxy for incidence. Observed and net survival rates were calculated. Results: A very sharp increase in incidence between 1980 and 2005 (from 24.8 per 100,000 person-years [world-standardized rate] to 124.5 per 100,000) was followed by a very marked decline (97.7 per 100,000 in 2011). The older the age group, the longer the decline has been underway. The trend in mortality is very different, as a steady decline has been observed since the late 1990s (from 18 per 100,000 in 1990 to 10.5 per 100,000 in 2011). The combination of these two phenomena leads to improved survival rates, due largely to changes in the profile of diagnosed cases. Cases diagnosed in 2008 are less advanced and less aggressive than those diagnosed in 2001. Conclusion: The trend observed in France is seen in all countries where the use of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing has led to a significant increase in diagnoses.