• About Male Cancer »
• Prostate Cancer

ABOUT PROSTATE CANCER

Over 40,000 men in the UK are cases diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK. It is the most common cancer in men over the age of 55 years, and an estimated 1 in 9 men will develop the condition.

WHO IS AT RISK?

There are a number of risk factors for prostate cancer:

Age

Prostate cancer mainly affects men over the age of 65. It is rare in men under the age of 40 years, but more than 1,000 men under the age of 55 years are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK. Up to 40% of these “early-onset” cases of prostate cancer are thought to be caused by inherited forms of the condition.It is generally felt that as many as 80% of men in their 80s will have evidence of the disease.

Ethnicity

Afro-Caribbean men have relatively high rates of prostate cancer. They are 3 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than caucasian men and often suffer from a more aggressive form of the disease. The lowest rates are found in Asian men. Interestingly, Asian men who are living in the western world and who have adopted a western lifestyle appear to stand the same chance of developing prostate cancer as caucasian men.

For a short video explaining the risk of prostate cancer for African-Carribean men please follow this link:

 www.nhs.uk/Video/Pages/black-men-and-prostate-cancer.aspx

Family history of prostate cancer

Having a brother or father with prostate cancer increases your risk by approximately two times compared to men with no family history of the disease. If a close member of your family was diagnosed with prostate cancer under the age of 60, you are at a higher risk of developing the condition. In fact your risk will increase.

 www.orchid-cancer.org.uk/pdf/Prostatecancerfamiliylink.pdf

Family history of breast cancer

The risk of prostate cancer increases slightly in men who have a strong family history of female breast cancer and vice versa (National Cancer Institute). This is thought to be because two genes carried by both men and women (called BRCA1 and BRCA2) increase the risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men (Cancer Research UK).

Diet

It has long been suspected that the western diet, high in saturated fats and red meat, may lead to an increased risk of developing cancer including prostate cancer. Research has shown however that there are several foodstuffs and dietary changes that appear to reduce prostate activity.

Click here to read Orchid's factsheet 'Male Cancer - Diet and Lifestyle'

Click here to read Orchids factsheet`Vitamin D and Prostate Cancer`