What is the risk of my developing prostate cancer?
The causes of prostate cancer are presently unknown, but there are a number of risk factors that increase a man's chance of developing prostate cancer:
Age: the risk of getting prostate cancer increases with age. Although it can affect men in their 40s, most men diagnosed with prostate cancer are over the age of 50 (1).
Family history: prostate cancer often clusters in families. If a close relative (father, brother, uncle) has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, patient risk increases. If the affected relative was under the age of 60 at the time of diagnosis, or if more than one relative has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, the risk becomes greater (2).
Ethnic background: African-Caribbean and African men are three times more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than Caucasian European men and the condition is commoner in Western countries (3).
Diet: a western diet high in saturated animal fats and proteins may increase the risk of prostate cancer (4/5).
Infolinks:
- The Prostate Cancer Charity
- Prostate UK
- Cancer Research UK
- Macmillan Cancer Support
- The NHS Cancer Screening Programmes and CancerBACUP have produced a downloadable booklet called Understanding the PSA Test for men requiring further information
Refs:
- Cancer Research UK | UK Prostate Cancer incidence statistics | Accessed Oct 2009 | Last updated Jun 2009
- Johns & Houlston | A systematic review and meta-analysis of familial prostate cancer risk | British Journal of Urology International (Jun 2003); 91: pp 789-794 | Behavioral and Social Science: Health Disparities
- Ben-Shlomo, Evans & Ibrahim et al | The Risk of Prostate Cancer amongst Black Men in the United Kingdom: The PROCESS Cohort Study | European Journal of Urology (Jan 2008); 53(1): pp 99-105
- Van Patten, de Boer & Tomlinson et al | Diet and Dietary Supplement Intervention Trials for the Prevention of Prostate Cancer Recurrence: A Review of the Randomized Controlled Trial Evidence | The Journal of Urolology (Dec 2008): 180 (6); pp 2314-2322
- Chan, Holick & Leitzmann et al | Diet after diagnosis and the risk of prostate cancer progression, recurrence, and death | Journal of Cancer Causes Control (Mar 2006): 17(2); pp 199-208
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