Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. Prostate cancer usually grows very slowly, and finding and treating it before symptoms occur may not improve men's health or help them live longer. Explore the links on this page to learn about prostate cancer treatment, prevention, screening, statistics, research, and more.

Prevention

Cancer prevention is action taken to lower the chance of getting cancer. By preventing cancer, the number of new cases of cancer in a group or population is lowered. Hopefully, this will lower the number of deaths caused by cancer.

To prevent new cancers from starting, scientists look at risk factors and protective factors. Anything that increases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer risk factor; anything that decreases your chance of developing cancer is called a cancer protective factor.

Risk Factors

Avoiding risk factors and taking protective factors may help prevent cancer.
The following risk factors may increase the risk of prostate cancer:
Age
Family history of prostate cancer
Race
Hormones
Vitamin E
Folic acid
Dairy and calcium

The following protective factors may decrease the risk of prostate cancer:
Folate
Finasteride and Dutasteride