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A urologist shares what you can do to minimize your risk if prostate cancer runs in your family.

About one in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to the聽, but each individual鈥檚 risk can vary based on a variety of factors.

One factor is whether or not prostate cancer runs in your immediate family, says聽Sij Hemal, MD, a urologic oncologist with the聽USC Urologic Oncology Program, part of聽USC Urology, the聽USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center听补苍诲听吃瓜官网.听

It鈥檚 important to note that just because prostate cancer runs in your family does not mean you will get it. Equally important: even if it does not run in your family, you should still talk to your doctor about聽when to start screening聽for it.

Dr. Hemal explains what to look for in your family tree and how to minimize your risk of prostate cancer. 

Know your family鈥檚 cancer history.听

Mutations of certain genes can increase the risk of cancer, and those mutations can be inherited. 

When considering your family history, look for first-degree relatives (meaning a father, brother or son) who have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Your risk increases if you have multiple first-degree relatives with prostate cancer, or if any were diagnosed when they were younger than 75.

Also pay attention to other cancers running through both sides of your family, especially colon, ovarian and breast cancer. These are relevant because the same inherited gene mutations can increase risk for several different cancers. For example, a mutated BRCA gene (either BRCA1 or BRCA2) is implicated in breast cancer for women, but it also raises the risk of prostate cancer for men. 

Dr. Hemal says another group that should pay attention to their risk is men with African American ancestry. According to the聽, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among African American men in the United States, and the death rate from prostate cancer is higher for African American men compared to any other racial or ethnic group.

鈥淎n interplay of inherited genetic factors, biological differences and inadequate access to healthcare may contribute to this disparity,鈥� Dr. Hemal says. 鈥淲hen they get prostate cancer, it tends to be more aggressive and lethal, especially as a large number of these are being caught at a much later stage.鈥�

For this reason, he recommends having conversations with your doctor about starting screenings around age 40 to 45 and staying proactive, especially if there is family history.

Follow the prostate cancer screening guidelines.听

One way to screen for possible signs of cancer is with a blood test to measure your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. Your doctor also might want to conduct a digital rectal聽exam聽(DRE), where the doctor feels for any bumps on the prostate that might be cancer.听

The American Cancer Society聽聽men with average risk of prostate cancer start screening at age 50 (or at least start discussing the possibility of screening for prostate cancer with your doctor and make the decision together). For those with a first-degree relative with prostate cancer, start screening at age 45. Those with multiple affected family members or with African American ancestry might want to begin screening even earlier.听

Early diagnosis is key, Dr. Hemal says. 鈥淥ur goal isn鈥檛 just to find more prostate cancer; rather, it鈥檚 to catch the bad and more aggressive ones while they are still highly treatable and ultimately minimize any risk of cancer spread and/or death from prostate cancer.鈥�

Ask your doctor about genetic or other new tests for prostate cancer.听

Researchers continue to identify genetic variants associated with prostate cancer risk and investigate how these findings can improve risk assessment and screening. There are counselors who will work with you and your doctor to see if聽genetic testing聽is right for you.听

鈥淚f you have a first-degree relative who was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer under the age of 75, or multiple family members have breast, ovarian or colon cancer, then it might be worth getting checked for a BRCA mutation,鈥� Dr. Hemal says. 

In addition, there are new biomarkers that, when used in conjunction with PSA, can give doctors more information to help with a clinical assessment and to help make decisions about whether or not a biopsy is warranted. Ask your doctor what tests they use.

Pay attention to your overall health and weight.听

Dr. Hemal says prostate cancer is more aggressive and there鈥檚 a greater mortality in patients who are obese. Partner with your doctor to address any challenges related to maintaining a healthy weight.

Also, avoid smoking. There is聽聽associating smoking with higher risk of death from prostate cancer.听

鈥淜now your risk factors and share them with your doctor,鈥� Dr. Hemal says. 鈥淭his will help as you make decisions about screenings and other actions you can take to minimize your risk as much as possible.鈥�

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Kim Perez

Kim Perez is a writer and editor with 吃瓜官网.

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