What Are the Causes of Prostate Cancer?
As with
all types of cancer, an exact cause of prostate cancer isn’t easy to pinpoint.
There are often many factors, but ultimately what leads to the growth of
cancerous cells are mutations in your DNA, or genetic material. These mutations
cause normal cells in your prostate to start growing abnormally.
Abnormal
or cancerous cells continue to grow and divide until a tumor develops. In cases
of aggressive cancer, the cells may leave the original tumor and spread to
other parts of the body.
Genetics
In some cases,
the mutations that lead to prostate cancer are inherited. If you have a family
history of prostate cancer, you’re at greater risk of developing the disease
because you may have inherited damaged DNA.
Approximately 5-10 percent of prostate cancer cases
are caused by inherited mutations, according to the American Cancer Society.
One such mutation is known as the hereditary prostate cancer gene 1, or HPC1.
Other inherited mutations, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, may also lead to a greater
risk of developing prostate cancer.
What
Are the Risk Factors?
Risk
factors are life circumstances that increase your odds of having prostate
cancer. For instance, having a family history of the disease is a risk factor.
Age
One of the most
telling risk factors for prostate cancer is age. The Prostate Cancer
Foundation notes that
just one in 10,000 men under the age of 40 will develop prostate cancer. That
number jumps to one in 14 for men between the ages of 60 and 69. The majority
of cases are diagnosed in men over 65.
Race
Although the reasons
are not fully understood, race is another risk factor for prostate cancer.
African-American men
are twice as likely as Caucasian men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
They’re also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and to have a poor
outlook.
Asian men and Latino
men have the lowest incidences of prostate cancer.
Diet
A high-fat diet also seems to be a risk factor for prostate
cancer, although it may only slightly increase the odds of developing the
disease. Men who eat diets rich in animal fats tend to eat fewer vegetables and
fruits. It’s uncertain whether it’s this deficiency or the higher amount of
fats that contribute to the increased risk.
Location
Where you live can also impact your risk for developing
prostate cancer. Asian men in America not only have a lower incidence of the
disease, but those living in Asia are even less likely to develop it.
Men living north of 40 degrees latitude are at a greater risk
of dying from prostate cancer than men living anywhere else in the United
States. This may be explained by the reduced amount of sunlight, and therefore
vitamin D, that men in northern climates receive.
Risk Factors for
Aggressive Prostate Cancer
Aggressive prostate cancers may be slightly
different diseases than the more innocuous types. They share some of the same
risk factors as low-risk prostate cancer, such as being African American and
having a family history.
Other
factors are unique to aggressive types of prostate cancer, including:
· Smoking
·
being obese
·
having a sedentary lifestyle
·
consuming high levels of calcium
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