The prostate is a small gland found underneath the bladder in men and is part of the reproductive system. Some men develop prostate cancer, much later in life. If cancer stands on your prostate gland, it will likely grow slowly. In rare cases, the cancer cells may be more aggressive, grow quickly, and spread to other areas of your body. The earlier your doctor discovers and treats the tumor, the higher the chances are of finding curative treatment.

READ ALSO:10 EARLY SIGNS OF CANCER IN MEN

According to the Urology Care Foundation, prostate cancer is the second most regular cause of all cancer-related deaths among American men. About 1 in 7 men will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. Approximately 1 in 39 men will die from it. Most of these deaths happen among older men.

What causes prostate cancer?

Like all kinds of cancer, the exact cause of prostate cancer isn’t easy to determine. In many situations, multiple factors may be involved, including genetics and exposure to environmental toxins, like certain chemicals or radiation.

Ultimately, mutations in your DNA, or genetic material, result in the growth of cancerous cells. These mutations make cells in your prostate to start growing uncontrollably and abnormally. Abnormal or cancerous cells continue to grow and divide until a tumor starts. If you have an aggressive kind of prostate cancer, the cells may metastasize, or leave the original tumor site and spread to other parts of your body.

What are the risk factors for prostate cancer?

Some risk factors may affect your chances of having prostate cancer, including your:

family history
age
race
geographical location
diet
Family history

In some situations, the mutations that lead to prostate cancer are inherited. If you have a family history of prostate cancer, you’re at increased risk of developing the disease yourself, because you may have inherited damaged DNA.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 5-10 percent of prostate cancer cases are caused by inherited mutations. It’s been associated with inherited mutations in several different genes, including:

RNASEL, formerly known as HPCI
BRCA1 and BRCA2, which have also been linked to breast and ovarian cancer in women
MSH2, MLH1, and other DNA mismatch repair genes
HOXB13
Age

One of the greatest risk factors for prostate cancer is age. This disease strangely affects young men. The Prostate Cancer Foundation reports that only 1 in 10,000 men under the age of 40 in the United States will develop it. That number jumps to 1 in 38 for men between the ages of 40 and 59. It leaps to 1 in 14 men between the ages of 60 and 69. The majority of cases are diagnosed in men over 65.

Age Incidence of prostate cancer
<40 1 in 10,000 men
40-59 1 in 38 men
60-69 1 in 14 men
Race and ethnicity

Although the reasons aren’t fully comprehended, race and ethnicity are risk factors for prostate cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, in the United States, Asian-American and Latino men have the lowest occurrences of prostate cancer. In contrast, African-American men are more likely to develop the disease than men of other races and ethnicities. They’re also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and have a poor outcome. They’re twice as likely to die from prostate cancer as white men.

Diet

A diet that’s rich in red meat and high-fat dairy products could also be a risk factor for prostate cancer, though there’s limited research. A study published in 2010 looked at 101 cases of prostate cancer and discovered a correlation between a diet high in meat and high-fat dairy products and prostate cancer, but stressed the need for additional studies.

A more recent study from 2017 looked at the diet of 525 men newly diagnosed with prostate cancer and found an association between high-fat milk consumption and the progression of the cancer. This study suggests that high-fat milk consumption may also play a role in the development of prostate cancer.
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