Mar 01, 2024
Welcome back to UHC’s House Call on WDTV. Dr. Ali Merhe, urologist at UHC Urology, talks about risk factors of prostate cancer.
1). Who is at risk for prostate cancer?
All men are at risk for prostate cancer. Out of every 100 American men, about 13 will get prostate cancer during their lifetime, and about 2 to 3 men will die from prostate cancer.
The most common risk factor is age. The older a man is, the greater the chance of getting prostate cancer.
2). Are certain men faced with a higher risk of getting prostate cancer?
Some men are at increased risk for prostate cancer. African-American men are more likely to get prostate cancer than other men. Numbers show that these men get prostate cancer at a younger age and tend to have more advanced disease when it is found. Alarmingly, African-American men are also more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than other men.
3). Are there additional factors that may lead to a higher risk of getting prostate cancer?
For some men, genetic factors may put them at higher risk of prostate cancer. You may have an increased risk of getting a type of prostate cancer caused by genetic changes that are inherited if:
- You have a first-degree relative (father, son, or brother) who had prostate cancer, including relatives in three generations on your mother’s or father’s side of the family.
- You were diagnosed with prostate cancer when you were 55 years old or younger.
- You were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and other members of your family have been diagnosed with breast, ovarian, or pancreatic cancer.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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