What causes prostate cancer

What causes prostate cancer? Prostate cancer is a malignant tumor that originates from the prostate gland. If a gene mutation in one of the cells causes uncontrolled proliferation, it becomes cancer. In addition to increasing in size or invading adjacent organs, malignant cells may also metastasize to other parts of the body, especially bones and lymph nodes. Prostate cancer may cause symptoms such as pain, difficulty urinating, and erectile dysfunction.

Prostate cancer occurs all over the world. The incidence rate varies from place to place. The United States has the highest incidence rate in the world, followed by Europe (the incidence rate varies in different parts of Europe), and the lowest in East Asia and South Asia. From the perspective of race, the incidence rate of prostate cancer is the highest in blacks, followed by whites, and the lowest in yellows. The incidence rate of yellows living in their native land is lower than that of those who immigrated to North America.

However, in recent years, the incidence rate in our country has been on the rise. It is estimated that about 40% of men over 50 years old have a small area of ​​cancer in their prostate.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men, killing more people than any other disease, after lung cancer.

What are the causes of prostate cancer?

The risk factors currently associated with prostate cancer include:

1. Absolute risk factors:

(1) Age: Age is the main risk factor for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is very rare in men under 45 years old, but the incidence of prostate cancer increases sharply with age, and the vast majority of prostate cancer patients are over 65 years old. Basically, the incidence of prostate cancer almost doubles with every 10 years of age after the age of 40. The risk of prostate cancer in men aged 50-59 is 10%, while the risk of prostate cancer in men aged 80-89 increases sharply to 70%.

(2) Family history: When a direct male relative in the family has prostate cancer, the incidence rate of males in the family increases significantly. Direct male relatives generally refer to fathers and brothers. If one direct relative has prostate cancer, the probability of having prostate cancer is 1 times higher than that of the general population; if there are two, it will be 3 times higher. This suggests that the occurrence of prostate cancer may be related to one or a group of genes in the body, but these genes have not yet been fully identified by scientists.

(3) Race: The incidence of prostate cancer is highest among African Americans (i.e., black Americans), followed by Hispanics and white Americans. The incidence of prostate cancer among African Americans is the lowest in the world. The incidence of prostate cancer among Asian men living in the United States is lower than that among white men, but significantly higher than that among native Asian men. Although the incidence of prostate cancer among Asians has not yet reached the level of European and American countries, the incidence of prostate cancer has been increasing year by year in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore.

(4) Pathological changes of abnormal cells in the prostate: The incidence of prostate cancer is significantly increased in men with high-grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia. High-grade intraepithelial neoplasia is a precancerous lesion that shows abnormal cell growth morphology under a microscope. Although it is not cancer, it often indicates the presence of prostate cancer, which has not yet been detected.

2. Relative risk factors:

(1) Diet: Some studies have shown that men who often eat foods high in animal fat are also more susceptible to prostate cancer because these foods contain more saturated fatty acids. Research results from 32 countries found that prostate cancer mortality is related to total fat intake. People who usually eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits have a lower probability of getting the disease.

(2) Androgen levels: High androgen levels in the body are also a possible cause of prostate cancer. Androgen can promote the growth of prostate cancer.