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Risk Factors

Prostate cancer risk factors include:

• Age. The older a man is, the greater his risk for getting prostate cancer.¹



• Family history. A man with a father, brother, or son who has had prostate cancer is two to three times more likely to develop the disease himself.¹



• Race. Prostate cancer is more common in some racial and ethnic groups than in others, but medical experts do not know why.¹

Researchers are trying to determine the causes of prostate cancer and whether it can be prevented. They do not yet agree on the factors that can influence a man's risk of developing the disease, either positively or negatively. Some of the factors under study include:^{1 2 3 4}

• Vitamins and herbal supplements.
• Lycopene (an antioxidant abundant in red tomatoes and processed tomato products).
• Diets high in animal fat or low in fruits and vegetables.
• Vitamin E and selenium.
• Men's hormone levels.
• Environmental agents (pesticide residue on foods and industrial and occupational exposures).
• Physical inactivity.
• Overweight and obesity.

For more information, please see Prostate Cancer Screening: A Decision Guide.

References

¹Bostwick DG, Burke HB, Djakiew D, Euling S, Ho SM, Landolph J, Morrison H, Sonawane B, Shifflett T, Waters DJ, Timms B. Human prostate cancer risk factors. Cancer 2004;101(10 Suppl):2371–2490.

²Vainio H, Bianchini F, eds. IARC Handbooks of Cancer Prevention, Vol 6: Weight Control and Physical Activity. Lyon, France: IARC Press; 2002.

³Curry SJ, Byers T, Hewitt M, eds. Fulfilling the Potential of Cancer Prevention and Early Detection. Washington, DC: National Academies Press; 2003.

⁴Platz EA, Giovannucci E. Prostate Cancer. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF, eds. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2006.