Age is a strong risk factor for developing the cancer. The older you are the more likely you may be diagnosed with the disease. Between age 40 and 49 the ratio is about 5 in 10,000 men. At 50, it jumps to about 47 in 10,000. Over 50, nearly 150 in 10,000.
Race is a second factor. African American and Caribbean men are at higher risk than men of other races. And their cancers are generally more aggressive than men of other races. The reasons are not completely understood and are being explored. Some evidence suggests their diets and nutrition are involved. Often their conditions are not discovered until at very late stages of the disease. Scientists are now convinced that other yet unknown genetic issues are in play. And that is where much of today’s research is focused.
Family history and inheritance present a third risk. The belief is that an inherited faulty gene from parents causes the disease. Having a grandfather with prostate cancer increases the odds of one’s getting the disease. If your father or brother have the cancer some studies show an eleven fold increase in prostate cancer susceptibility.