Prostate Cancer: An Overview, and Risk Factors
Prostate cancer is something that affects many men, particularly as they reach fifty and over (though it is entirely possible to develop it at a younger age, too). It’s believed that most men over the age of fifty have it to some degree (though usually it causes no symptoms or problems). The prostate is a gland in men’s reproductive system. It makes the fluid part of semen. It’s located just under the bladder, and is regulated by testosterone (the male sex hormone).
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer to affect men in the UK, with one in 14 developing it at some point in their lives. However, the survival rate is very good, with about 70% surviving for at least five years.
It’s cause is not known exactly, though it is thought to be related to genetics (it is more common for men with prostate cancer to die if they have a family history of the disease), and diet contributes to the risk of death from the disease: men who eat lots of fat (especially animal, saturated fat) are more likely to develop the disease to an advanced stage and/or die from it. The disease is more common in countries that typically consume meat and dairy staples than in countries that have a diet rich in vegetables, rice and soya beans. It’s also linked to age, with around 60% of cases being found in men over 70.
Your ethnicity is likely to influence the likelihood of whether or not you develop the disease: it is most common in black men of African and African-Caribbean heritage, and least common in Asian men.
It is probable that hormonal changes trigger the cancer, and that diet triggers the hormonal changes. This is because fats stimulate a greater production of testosterone, which in turn encourages the growth of prostate cancer. Further, if you eat meat that has been cooked at high temperatures, carcinogens present in the meat as a result of the cooking process can affect the prostate.
Another risk factor is exposure to a metal called cadmium seem to be abnormally vulnerable to prostate cancer.
Next week we will examine how prostate cancer is detected.
