What Are the Possible Causes of Prostate Cancer?

Prostate cancer is a malignant growth in the prostate gland. This type of tumor commonly occurs in older men and is rarely found in younger age. What are the possible causes of prostate cancer? What are the risk factors?

Enriching yourself with information about prostate cancer is important. Knowing the possible causes and factors that potentially increase the risk of the disease helps you take action for prevention.

What Are the Possible Causes of Prostate Cancer?

Generally, it is still unclear what causes prostate cancer and how it starts. Experts know that this type of cancer begins when damaged prostate cells grow out of control due to changes in DNA. DNA contains instructions of what the cells do. When it changes, cells begin to grow more rapidly.

The accumulation of rapidly growing cells from a tumor. Cancerous cells can travel through the lymph nodes and attach to other tissues in which they start to grow and form a new tumor. That’s why advanced prostate cancer can spread beyond nearby areas.

Oncogenes are a type of gene that controls when cells grow and divide. Tumor suppressor genes are a gene that maintains cells growth under control and causes cells to die. DNA mutations can turn off tumor suppressor genes and turn on oncogenes that lead to uncontrolled cell growth.

Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer

What are the possible causes of prostate cancer? Researchers are not sure about what causes prostate cancer, but several factors are linked to an increased risk of this cancer. Men with one or more of these factors are more likely to develop malignant tumors in their prostate.

1. Age

As you age, your risk of getting prostate cancer increases. This type of cancer is rarely found in males younger than 40 and it is often diagnosed in men older than 50. That’s why age is considered one of the risk factors of prostate cancer.

2. Ethnicity

For unknown reasons, Afro-Americans are more likely to get prostate cancer than men of other ethnicities. They have a higher risk of developing this cancer at an earlier age with more aggressive tumors. These tumors grow and spread more quickly, making them more fatal than prostate cancer in other races.

The reasons why this cancer is more prevalent in African American males is unclear but some factors are linked to it, such as socioeconomic, diet, environment, and others. Hispanic and Asian males are less likely to develop prostate cancer.

3. Family History

Family history is one of the risk factors of prostate cancer. If you have a relative diagnosed with prostate cancer, you have a higher risk of developing the disease. If your father or brother had it, you are two to three times more likely to get prostate cancer.

The more relatives develop this disease, the higher your risk. The age when they were diagnosed is also worth considering.

4. Smoking

Smoking is a bad habit that is often associated with several health issues, including prostate cancer. Heavy smokers are more likely to get prostate cancer than non-smokers. Quit smoking is the right decision to lower the risk.

5. Diet

Lifestyle and diet play a role in increasing the risk. Eating more calories and high-fat foods may boost the risk of the disease. Lack of exercise may also lead to obesity which increases your risk of suffering from prostate cancer.

If you are interested in prostate cancer prevention, change your lifestyle and diet. Monitor your calorie intake and choose low-fat foods in your diet. Don’t forget to take regular exercises to maintain your weight.

What are the possible causes of prostate cancer? It is still unclear what causes this growth, but some factors like ethnicity, family history, and diet can increase the risk.