Will I get prostate cancer?

 

Factors such as diet, heredity and physical activity appear to play a role in who gets prostate cancer and who doesn’t, but we are not sure to what extent.  We do know that the older you are, the more your chances increase.  For every 100 men over the age of 50 who undergo a biopsy of their prostate, 30 of them will be found to have prostate cancer.  Many men who have it never even know and many will remain healthy and unaffected by it.

 

There is no single cause but identified risk factors include:

 

Age:  The risk of getting prostate cancer increases with age.  It is rarely seen under the age of 40, and uncommon until men are in their 60’s and 70’s.  As the life expectancy of a population increases the risk of dying of prostate cancer also goes up.

 

Race: The likelihood of being diagnosed with prostate cancer and of dying from the disease varies drastically among different races and countries.  The disease is more common and more lethal in Blacks, intermediate in Caucasians, and lowest in Asian men from China and Japan.

 

Family History:  Someone with a family member who has had prostate cancer has a higher risk of getting the disease than someone with no family history.  For example if your father or brother has had prostate cancer, you have twice the usual chance of getting it.  If you have 2 close relatives with it, the risk goes up 8 times.

 

Hormones:  It is thought that advanced age may be an important factor in the incidence of prostate cancer because of the long-term exposure of the prostate cells to the male hormone testosterone.  It stimulates the prostate to grow and, particularly in men over 40, is a factor in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia, as well as cancerous growths.  Both BPH and prostate cancer feed off testosterone.

 

Diet:  Studies comparing men with and without prostate cancer have consistently shown that there is a relationship between fat intake and the risk of prostate cancer.  High intake of animal or saturated fats increases the risk of prostate cancer by about 2 times.

 

Foods such as raw broccoli and tomato sauces (especially when cooked in olive oil) may be helpful in decreasing the growth of prostate cancer.

 

Men who eat a high-fibre diet are less likely to develop prostate cancers, possibly because of the loss of some sex hormones through the intestinal tract.  Soya protein products (tofu) may be protective as well.

 

Vitamin D:  There is evidence that a lack of vitamin D may increase the risk of prostate cancer.  Vitamin D is converted into an active hormone, Vitamin D3.  This conversion happens when the skin is exposed to sunlight.  Men with reduced exposure to sunlight are at increased risk for this reason.