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Prostate Cancer: Reducing Your Risk
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Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer and colorectal cancer. Statistics from the American Cancer Society (ACS) show that one in six men will be afflicted with this type of cancer during his lifetime. The cause of prostate cancer is still unknown; however, research has shown that a man's chances of being diagnosed with prostate cancer depends on his health, age, and family history.
What Is The Magnitude Of Prostate Cancer Among Men?
The ACS estimates that there will be about 234,460 new cases of prostate cancer in the United States in 2006. About 27,350 men will die of the disease.
What Are The Risk Factors For Prostate Cancer?
The incidence of prostate cancer increases with age—more than 75 percent of all prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 65. Recent genetic studies suggest that family predisposition may be responsible for five to ten percent of prostate cancers. Diet has also been shown to play a role. The ACS states that men who eat large amounts of fat have a greater chance of developing prostate cancer (some doctors believe that men with high-fat diets also tend to eat fewer fruits and vegetables and more dairy products; this may be responsible for the increased risk rather than the amount of fat itself).
Prostate Cancer Can Often Be Cured When Detected Early
According to the American Urological Association (AUA), the majority of newly diagnosed prostate cancers is localized and usually causes no symptoms. Early detection is important, so that the tumors can be watched and treated before the cancer spreads.
Men age 50 and older should talk with their health care professional about having a prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test or a digital rectal examination (DRE) every year. African-American men and men with a family history of prostate cancer are at high risk; the AUA recommends that they consider getting these tests yearly starting at the age of 40.
"The death rate from prostate cancer has dropped from 40,000 to 30,000 here in the U.S.," said Brian Hopkins, M.D., an urologist at John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek Campus. "PSA screening and early detection have helped play a role in this statistical decrease."
How Is Prostate Cancer Treated?
Once prostate cancer is detected, according to the AUA, a number of treatment options may be recommended by a patient's physician. These include surgery, radiation, and hormone therapy. "Depending on the patient's clinical situation, localized prostate cancer can be cured by surgery or radiation," said Michael Messer, M.D., medical director of Medical Oncology at John Muir Medical Center, Concord Campus. "Even advanced cases can be effectively treated with medications."
What Are The Warning Signs Of Prostate Cancer?
"Prostate cancer does not have symptoms associated with it, that is why the serum PSA and digital rectum screenings are so important," said Dr. Hopkins.
Healthy Diet May Reduce Risk Of Prostate Cancer
You may be able to reduce your risk of prostate cancer by making healthier diet choices.
- Eat more fish and less red meat. Preliminary research findings from Europe show that men who follow this guideline have a lower incidence of prostate cancer.
- Take vitamin E on a regular basis. Studies by epidemiologists have shown that vitamin E may lower your risk.
- Eat more tomatoes, especially those that have been cooked and crushed.Tomatoes are the richest and most available source of lycopene, an antioxidant that has been shown to decrease the incidence. A six-year study at the Harvard University School of Public Health reported that men who ate large amounts of tomatobased foods were up to 45 percent less likely to develop prostate cancer. (Lycopene is also present in other foods, including grapefruit and watermelon.)
- Participate in regular physical activity and maintain a healthy weight.
- Eat a diet low in fat and high in vegetables, fruits, and grains. The ACS recommends limiting your intake of high-fat foods from animal sources and choosing most of the foods you eat from plant sources.
- A study is currently under way investigating the use of selenium supplementation as a preventive measure.
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