Causes and Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer

Posted by George Suarez on September 6th, 2018

Prostate cancer is a terrible disease, one that claims lives and often leaves men scarred after difficult surgeries or radiation treatments. It's important to know the causes of prostate cancer if you want to decrease your chances of developing this deadly cancer. 

While researchers don't exactly know the definite causes of prostate cancer, they do understand certain risks that may increase your possibility of developing cancer cells in your prostate.

About Cancer

Cancer is essentially caused by mutated DNA in bodily cells. In this case, the prostate cells experience mutations in the genes that are meant to suppress tumors, grow, or multiply. 

There is a strong chance that inherited gene mutations from previous family generations can cause your prostate cells to mutate, becoming cancerous. Therefore, you might say that one of the top prostate cancer causes of prostate cancer in your family history, especially your father. 

However, gene mutations can also develop, rather than being inherited. These acquired gene mutations, as they're called, can occur when you're exposed to radiation, as well as other life events.

Acquired gene mutations can occur due to a person's diet, hormone levels, and even random occurrences when healthy cells multiply. Prostate inflammation, or an enlarged prostate, can potentially cause DNA to multiply incorrectly, as the cells in the prostate are essentially under stress. This puts you at higher risk of developing prostate cancer. 

Risk Factors

Scientists cannot pin down the exact causes of prostate cancer, but have identified certain risk factors, or the biological and lifestyle conditions that may not necessarily cause prostate cancer, but have a known association with the disease.

For instance, men over age 50 are more likely to develop prostate cancer. African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer, while Asian American and Latino men are the least likely of the American population. Scientists are unsure why risks are divided among racial lines in this way.

Also, men who eat a high-fat and low-produce diet are more likely to get prostate cancer. However, obesity is not known to be a risk factor for prostate cancer, nor, surprisingly, is cigarette smoking. 

Scientists have also found that certain sexually transmitted diseases inflame the prostate and increase the sufferer's risk of getting prostate cancer. 

Now that you know more about the risk factors and causes of prostate cancer, you should research treatment options now, before you are diagnosed with or develop this disease. Fast and effective treatment can increase your chances of survival.