DOES PROSTATE CANCER RUN IN THE FAMILY?
As with breast cancer, there seems to be a close association between a family history of prostate cancer and a man’s risk of developing the disease. Big deal, you may be thinking: If prostate cancer is inevitable for so many men—if it’s so common—then what difference does it make if it runs in my family? Unfortunately, the prostate cancer that runs in families is much more likely to strike at a younger age, when a man might not even be looking for trouble or having yearly prostate exams.
Recently, scientists at Johns Hopkins showed the undeniable link between a family history of prostate cancer and a man’s probability of developing the disease (see table 2.1). This study showed that if your father or brother has prostate cancer, your risk is two times greater than the average American man’s
Table 2.1 Does Prostate Cancer Run in Tour Family?
Number of Affected
Relatives
Risk
Father and/or brothers
One
2-fold
Two
5-fold
Father/brother or
Grandfather/uncle
One
1.5-fold
Two
2.3-fold
Note: Your risk of developing prostate cancer starts at about 13 percent and goes up from there, depending on your number of affected relatives.
(which is about 13 percent). It goes up from there: Depending on the number of affected relatives you have and the age at which they develop the disease, your risk could be as high as 50 percent. Does your family history suggest hereditary prostate cancer (HPC) ? You fall into this category if you have three first-degree relatives (a father or brothers) who develop prostate cancer, or two first-degree relatives, if both developed it before age 55, or if prostate cancer has occurred in three generations in your family (grandfather, father, son). Note: HPC can be inherited, from either your father or your mother. For this reason, it’s important to find out from both your father and mother about a history of prostate cancer in their brothers and father. (If neither relative is living, ask other family members, or investigate family records.) Men in families with HPC have a 50 percent chance of developing prostate cancer and are more likely to develop it at a younger age than most men. In HPC families, men should have a digital rectal examination and PSA test every year, beginning at age 40.
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Tags: Erectile Dysfunction, Men’s Health