Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer affecting men (the second most common after skin cancer). In 2018, more than 1.2 million cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed worldwide, with more than 358,000 prostate cancer-related deaths.
In Brazil, prostate cancer ranks third among the most common types of cancer overall (10.2% of cases diagnosed with cancer, the most common being skin cancer and then breast cancer), with estimates of more than 72 thousand new cases annually.
What are the risk factors associated with prostate cancer?
Several risk factors have been associated with an increased incidence of prostate cancer, and we will talk about the most common ones:
- Age is one of the most important factors associated with the risk of prostate cancer. In fact, a diagnosis of prostate cancer in men younger than 40 is less common, for example, than in men between 65 and 75 years of age.
- Ethnicity: Prostate cancer is more common in men of African descent, with an annual incidence rate at age 70 years of 1,600 per 100,000 in men of African descent compared to an incidence of 700 per 100,000 in men of Asian descent.
- Smoking habit: Smoking is associated with a higher risk of several types of cancer, one of which is prostate cancer, in addition to a poor prognosis among smoking patients.
- Diet: Many studies have evaluated diet and its relationship to the risk of prostate cancer, as a diet rich in animal fats and low in vegetables has been associated with an increased incidence of prostate cancer.
- Obesity: Several studies have identified a relationship between obesity and an increased incidence of prostate cancer.
- Family history: The genetic component is one of the important factors related to the high incidence and risk of prostate cancer, especially men who have first-degree relatives who were diagnosed with prostate cancer before the age of sixty, in addition to men who have a family history of other types of cancer, such as Family history of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma, and others.
What are the most common genes associated with hereditary prostate cancer risk:
There are several genes at risk for hereditary prostate cancer, and some of the most identified include: BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, HOXb13, Lynch syndrome genes, PALB2, and others.
What are the criteria for indicating hereditary genetic screening for prostate cancer?
There are several criteria to indicate evaluation, including:
- Having a significant family history of prostate cancer, especially when it is diagnosed in more than 3 family members, in 3 different generations.
- Personal or family history of high-grade prostate cancer (Gleason≥7).
- Personal or family history of metastatic prostate cancer.
- Family history of multiple cancers, especially when diagnosed before the age of 50, including colorectal cancer, stomach cancer, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, kidney cancer, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer.
- Family history of specific variants (mutations) in genes associated with prostate cancer risk.
Dr. Ali Hassan
doctor
👨⚕️Geneticist. Customer Relationship Management: 24510/RQE20060
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