What are the risk factors for prostate cancer?
Certain risk factors may predispose a person to prostate cancer. These include:
- Age: 60% of cases of prostate cancer arise in men over 65 years of age. The disease is rare in men under 40.
- Race or ethnicity: African-American men and Jamaican men of African ancestry are diagnosed with prostate cancer more often than are men of other races and ethnicities. Asian and Hispanic men are less likely to develop prostate cancer than are non-Hispanic white males.
- Family history: Prostate cancer can run in families. A man whose father or brother has or had prostate cancer is twice as likely to develop the disease. If several family members have had prostate cancer, and particularly if it was found at a young age in those relatives, the risk may be even higher.
- Nationality: Prostate cancer is more common in North America, Europe (especially northwestern countreis and South and Central America. Multiple factors, such as diet and lifestyle, may account for this.
- Genetic factors: Mutations in a portion of the DNA called the BRCA2 gene can increase a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer. This same mutation in female family members may increase their risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. However, very few cases of prostate cancer can be directly attributed to presently identifiable genetic changes.
- Other factors: Diets high in red meats and fatty foods and low in fruits and vegetables appear to be associated with a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.Obesity is also linked to a higher risk of the disease.
- Smoking, a history of sexually transmitted diseases, a history of prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate), and a history of vasectomy have NOT been proven to play a role in causing prostate cancer.
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Prevention
Different factors cause different types of cancer. Researchers continue to look into what factors cause this type of cancer. Although there is no proven way to completely prevent this disease, you may be able to lower your risk. Talk with your doctor for more information about your personal risk of cancer.
Hormones and chemoprevention
High levels of testosterone, a male sex hormone, may speed up or cause the development of prostate cancer. For instance, it is very uncommon for a man whose body no longer makes testosterone to develop prostate cancer. In addition, stopping the body’s production of testosterone, called androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), often shrinks a prostate tumor. See the Treatment Options section for more information.
A class of drugs called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors (5-ARIs), which includes dutasteride (Avodart) and finasteride (Proscar), may lower a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer. In clinical trials, both drugs have reduced the risk of prostate cancer. Some previous studies suggested that 5-ARIs were linked to more aggressive prostate cancers, but newer studies have shown this claim isn’t true. Interestingly, according to the results of long-term follow-up study that was published in 2013, the same number of men taking finasteride were alive 15 years later as those taking an inactive substance called a placebo (78%). These results suggest that there is no decrease in the risk of death for men taking finasteride. This subject remains controversial, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved these drugs for prostate cancer prevention. Because the decision to take a 5-ARI is different for each patient, men should discuss these drugs with their doctor.
Dietary changes
There is not enough information yet to make clear recommendations about the role diet plays in prostate cancer. Dietary changes may need to be made many years earlier in a man’s life to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
The following briefly summarizes the current research:
- A diet high in fat, especially animal fat, may increase prostate cancer risk. However, no prospective studies, meaning studies that follow men with either high-fat or low-fat diets and then measure the total in each group diagnosed with prostate cancer, have yet shown that diets high in animal fat raise the risk of prostate cancer.
- A diet high in vegetables, fruits, and legumes, such as beans and peas, may decrease the risk of prostate cancer. It is unclear which nutrients are directly responsible. Although lycopene, the nutrient found in tomatoes and other vegetables, has been linked to a lower risk of prostate cancer, the data so far have not demonstrated a relationship.
- Currently no specific vitamins, minerals, or other supplements have been conclusively shown in clinical trials to prevent prostate cancer. Some, including vitamin D, vitamin E, and selenium may even be harmful for some men. Men should talk with their doctors before taking any supplements to prevent prostate cancer.
- Specific changes to diet may not stop or slow the development of prostate cancer, and it is possible such changes would need to begin early in life to have an effect.
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