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Being diagnosed with prostate cancer can be a life-altering experience. It requires making some very difficult decisions about treatments that can affect not only the life ofthe man diagnosed, but also the lives ofhis family members in significant ways for many years to come. The older you are, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. Although only 1 in 10,000 under age 40 will be diagnosed, the rate shoots up to 1 in 38 for ages 40 to 59, and 1 in 14 for ages 60 to 69. In fact, about 65% of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over the age of 65.

The roles of race and family history are important as well. African American men are 60% more likely to develop prostate cancer compared with Caucasian men, and are 200% more likely to die from their disease. Men with a single relative with a history of prostate cancer are twice as likely to develop the disease, while those with two or more relatives are nearly four times as likely to be diagnosed. The riskis even higher if the affected family members were diagnosed at a young age, with the highest risk seen in men whose family members were diagnosed before age 60.

Although genetics might play a role in deciding why one man might be at higher risk than another, social and environmental factors, particularly diet and lifestyle, likely have an effect as well.The exact relationship between obesity and prostate cancer remains unclear, but there is no doubt that obesity can have a negative effect on outcomes. Research has shown that prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test results in obese men can be lower despite the presence of disease,potentially leading to a delay in diagnosis and treatment; recovery from surgery tends to be longer and more difficult; and the risk of dying from prostate cancer can be higher.

These link partners focus on providing information related to the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatments for prostate cancer.

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