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Understanding your prostate cancer risk

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Are you at risk for developing prostate cancer in your lifetime? Learn about the risk factors for prostate cancer. Understanding your risks can help you talk with your health care provider about what steps you may want to take.

Risk Factors

No one knows what causes prostate cancer, but certain factors increase your risk of getting it.

A Western lifestyle is linked with prostate cancer, and dietary factors have been intensively studied. However, results are inconsistent.

Having risk factors for prostate cancer does not mean you will get it. Some men with several risk factors never get prostate cancer. Many men without risk factors develop prostate cancer.

How to Reduce Your Risk

Most risk factors for prostate cancer, such as age and family history, cannot be controlled. Other areas are unknown or not yet proven. Experts are still looking at things like diet, obesity, smoking, and other factors to see how they may affect your risk.

As with many health conditions, staying healthy is your best defense against illness:

It is a good idea to talk with your provider before taking dietary supplements. Some studies have shown that certain supplements may increase the risk for prostate cancer, although this is unproven:

It is a good idea to talk with your provider about your risk for prostate cancer and what you can do about it. If you have a higher risk, you and your provider can talk though the benefits and risks of prostate cancer screening to decide what is best for you.

When to Call the Doctor

Contact your provider if you:

References

National Cancer Institute website. Genetics of prostate cancer (PDQ) - Health professional version. www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/hp/prostate-genetics-pdq#section/all. Updated February 15, 2024. Accessed June 7, 2024.

National Cancer Institute website. Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ) - Patient version. www.cancer.gov/types/prostate/patient/prostate-prevention-pdq#section/all. Updated October 20, 2023. Accessed June 7, 2024.

National Cancer Institute website. Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER). Cancer stat facts: prostate cancer. seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/prost.html. Accessed June 7, 2024.

US Preventive Services Task Force website. Final recommendation statement prostate cancer: screening. www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation/prostate-cancer-screening. Released May 8, 2018. Accessed June 7, 2024.

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Review Date: 3/31/2024  

Reviewed By: Todd Gersten, MD, Hematology/Oncology, Florida Cancer Specialists & Research Institute, Wellington, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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