Family Prostate Cancer Risk Analyzed with Surprising Results

1. Men with a family history of prostate cancer have long been told their risk for developing this often highly treatable disease is much higher than the average. Researchers, however, had not calculated the specific risks men with a family link to the disease face for developing the disease. Hoping to gain a better understanding of just how powerful the risk happens to be, researchers dove into the records of more than 52,000 men. The results showed some surprising differences in probability for men without a familial link and those with a connection to prostate cancer through a brother. Men in the general population had a 4.8 percent risk of developing any prostate cancer by the age of 65 and roughly a 13 percent risk by age 75. For men with a brother with the disease, the risk for any prostate cancer was nearly 15 percent at 65 and over 30 percent at age 75. Another alarming probability that was revealed by the study involved the risk of developing more aggressive forms of prostate cancer. Men with two affected brothers had a 13.6 percent risk of developing high-risk cancer by age 75, researchers found. The study adds to the growing body of evidence that shows men with a family link run a much higher risk than the general population in developing prostate cancer. With that in mind, men who are at risk through a family connection are urged to talk with their healthcare providers for case-specific screening advice. Men who present with other risk factors, the need for early screening may be even higher.

2. Prostate cancer affects about 160,000 Americans each year. An estimated 26,000 die from the disease annually. This form of cancer, when caught early, can often be successfully treated. Early screening tools are available to help ensure an early diagnosis. All men should talk to their doctors about screening and when it should begin in their cases.