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A risk factor is anything that increases the chances of a person developing a particular disease or condition. The cause of prostate cancer remains unclear, but it is thought to be a combination of environmental, genetic, and lifestyle factors. Risk factors that have been suggested for prostate cancer include:

• Age - Prostate cancer is a disease associated with aging. In the United States, greater than 70% of all cases are diagnosed in men over 65 years of age. Prostate cancer can occur in men as young as 40 years of age, although this is rare.

• Race - The incidence of prostate cancer in African Americans 275.3 per 100,000 men is nearly 60% higher than among whites (172.9 per 100,000), which in turn, is higher than the rates for Hispanics (127.6 per 100,000) and Asians/Pacific Islanders (107.2 per 100,000).

• Genetics - The risk of developing prostate cancer doubles for men who have a father or brother affected by the disease, and risk increases further when multiple first-degree relatives are affected. It has been suggested that this familial clustering of prostate cancer may be caused by inheritance of a gene that makes family members more susceptible to prostate cancer, although this has not yet been proven.

• Diet - People with high dietary intake of red meat, saturated/animal fat, and milk/dairy products may have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

• Environmental Exposures - Certain pesticides and herbicides may increase prostate cancer risk in some populations such as farmers. Work-related exposure to metalworking operations, cadmium and polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons may also increase risk of prostate cancer.

• Some studies have suggested that men who have had a vasectomy (surgical procedure used to sterilize men where the vas deferens is cut to prevent sperm from traveling to the urethra) may have a greater disposition for developing prostate cancer.