Family Link to Prostate Cancer is Strong: Study

1. Researchers have long known that a family history of prostate cancer increases a man’s risk for developing the disease. The probability of a man with a relative diagnosed with the disease contracting it himself, however, was largely unknown until now. A recent study looked at the connection between men diagnosed with this disease and their brothers to gain a better understanding of the risk. The study in question involved data related to more than 51,000 men. Researchers ultimately found that the probability of developing prostate cancer within the population as a whole was just under 5 percent at the age of 65. That risk rose to nearly 13 percent by age 75. For men with a brother who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the past, the probability was nearly 15 percent at age 65. The risk rose to about 30 percent by age 75. Men with two brothers affected by the disease presented with a probability of nearly 14 percent for being diagnosed with high-risk forms of the disease by age 75.

2. Prostate cancer is anticipated to affect an estimated 161,000 American men in the coming year. Approximately 26,000 men will die from this disease in the next 12 months. While family history is one of the known risk factors for this disease, it is not the only one. Age, ethnicity and genetic mutations also play roles in increasing a man’s risk. Links between prostate cancer and certain chemicals, vasectomies and inflammation may also exist. Since all men are at risk for the development of prostate cancer as they age, it is strongly recommended that men speak to their doctors about this condition. Routine screening exams, such as the prostate- specific antigen blood test, can help doctors catch this condition in its earliest, most treatable phases. Routine screening should generally begin in a man’s 50s, but risk factors may prompt the need for screening to start sooner.