Many things can affect your risk of prostate cancer. Some of these include:
- Age
- Race and ethnicity
- Family health history
- Inherited gene changes
- Weight
- Diet
One of the strongest risk factors is family health history. Prostate cancer is one of the cancers most likely to run in families. Knowing your family's health history can help you and your healthcare provider make informed decisions about screening.
Why Does Family Health History Matter?
Your family health history includes health conditions that have affected your close relatives. Families often share:
- Genes passed down from parents
- Similar lifestyles
- Similar environments
Together, these factors can affect your risk for certain diseases, including prostate cancer.Genes are the body's instructions for how cells grow and function. Sometimes an inherited change (mutation) in a gene can increase the risk of cancer.
Who Has a Higher Risk?
You may have a higher risk of prostate cancer if any of these are true:
- More than one first-degree relative (your father, brother, or son) has had prostate cancer.
- Several relatives on your mother's or father's side of the family have had prostate cancer over multiple generations.
- Your father or brother had prostate cancer. This can increase your risk by about 2 to 3 times compared with someone who has no close relatives with the disease.
- Other close family members have had breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancer.
What Is Hereditary Prostate Cancer?
A small number of families have hereditary prostate cancer. This means an inherited gene change is thought to cause the cancer in family members.
Healthcare providers may suspect hereditary prostate cancer when a family has any of these:
- Three generations affected by prostate cancer
- Three first-degree relatives with prostate cancer
- Two relatives diagnosed before age 55
Most people with a family history of prostate cancer do not meet these criteria. Even so, having a family history is still an important risk factor.
Does a Family History of Prostate Cancer Mean I'll Get Aggressive Cancer?
Having a family history of prostate cancer increases your risk of developing the cancer. But studies have not consistently shown that it also increases the risk of having a more aggressive cancer.
For example, one study found that men with a family history had a higher risk of dying from prostate cancer. Another recent study found that men with a family history appeared to have better overall survival. One possible reason is that men with a family history may begin prostate cancer screening earlier. This can help find cancer sooner, when it is easier to treat.
Does a Family History of Prostate Cancer Affect When I Should Be Screened?
For many men, having a family history alone does not automatically mean they should start prostate cancer screening earlier.
Your healthcare provider will also consider:
- Your age
- Your race or ethnicity
- Your overall health
- Your personal and family health history
Some men inherit specific gene changes, such as BRCA2, BRCA1, or HOXB13. These greatly increase the risk of prostate cancer at a younger age.
Expert guidelines recommend that men with a BRCA2 or HOXB13 mutation begin PSA screening at whichever of these comes first:
- Age 40
- The age 10 years before the youngest age at which prostate cancer was diagnosed in their family
For men with a BRCA1 mutation, many expert guidelines recommend starting PSA screening at age 40. Men with these inherited gene changes are more likely to develop prostate cancer at a younger age, and the cancer may be more aggressive.
Talking With Your Healthcare Provider
Knowing your family health history can help you and your healthcare provider make the best decisions about prostate cancer screening.
Try to learn:
- Which relatives have had prostate cancer
- If anyone in your family has had breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancer
- How old your relatives were when they were diagnosed
Share this information with your healthcare provider. Along with your age, race, and overall health, it can help estimate your risk and determine when prostate cancer screening may be right for you.