Etiology and Clinical Factors : Prostate cancer
By prostate Doc at 6 October, 2008, 1:58 pm
Etiology
Epidemiologic factors associated with the development of prostate cancer in- clude age, genetic background, race, hormone status, and suspected dietary factors. Prostate cancer appears to be age-related occurring in 30% of men over age 50, and 80% of men over age 80, with an increase in incidence in each decade. It is impor- tant to note that many prostate cancers are considered incidental findings, are slow growing and do not lead to death.
Recent studies have identified a form of prostate cancer that appears to be genetically linked to chromosome locus HPC1, and occurs in families at a somewhat earlier age, 40-60 years old. In a study of 14,000 men in The Netherlands, men who had one affected first-degree relative had a 1.41 relative risk of developing prostate cancer and with more than one affected relative the risk increased to 3.32, compared with that for men who did not have a positive family history. In addition, familial prostate cancer appears to be a more aggressive type of cancer at presentation. Dietary factors have been linked to the development of prostate cancer. Several early studies indicated a high fat diet was linked to development of prostate cancer. However, subsequent studies have failed to find a direct relationship. Suggestive evidence of dietary factors is most prominent in Asian countries where people consume low dietary fat and consume increased levels of soy-based foods. The ben- eficial effects of soy have been attributed to the isoflavones found in soy, genistein, and daidezine. Epidemiological evidence also suggests that selenium, an essential trace element, may play a role in human cancer prevention. In one study, a 50% decrease in total cancer mortality and a decrease in the incidence of prostate cancer occurred in a group of men that received 200 mcg daily of selenium versus a placebo.
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