Though there is no clear, known cause of prostate cancer, the following are risk factors that may increase your chances of developing prostate cancer. The
more risk factors you have, the greater the likelihood that you will develop prostate cancer.
Age - The odds of developing prostate cancer increase with age. For example, the lifetime odds of a man developing prostate cancer in his 50’s is 1 in 111.
The odds rise to 1 in 30 for men in their 60’s.
Race - It is not clear why, but African-Canadian and Caribbean-Canadian men are at the highest risk of developing prostate cancer.
- Having a family history of prostate cancer increases a man’s predisposition to developing prostate cancer. If a man has the BRCA2, or ‘breast
cancer’, gene in his family, there is evidence that this also increases prostate cancer risk.
Diet and Obesity
- High calorie and high fat diets, as well as obesity, may play a role in increasing prostate cancer risk.