fbpx

Prostate Cancer Predictors: An Overview of Findings from Recent Study

A 2015 study published in the journal Prostate shows prostate cancer incidence among distant relatives on both sides of a man’s family can help predict whether he will develop the disease.  According to study author Lisa Cannon-Albright, “Family history is a substantial risk factor for prostate cancer.  But typically, a clinician will ask a patient whether there are any people in the family with prostate cancer, possibly identifying whether they are first-degree relatives.  And that’s about as far as it goes.”

Researchers noted that family history was just as effective at predicting disease incidence as the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, a common screening test for prostate cancer.  While the screening test increased the number of diagnoses, the proportion of cases associated with family history remained the same before and after the advent of the PSA test.  Further, the authors noted, “history of the disease among a man’s maternal relatives is just as big of a predictor as the incidence among his paternal relatives.”

Read more about the study and the findings here.

If you or a loved one is screened for prostate cancer and the disease is detected, be sure to fully inform yourself of your options, including a second opinion.  If you decide to move forward with treatment, contact the Alliance Cancer Centers in Greenville and Clarksdale to learn more about radiation therapy as a noninvasive and painless treatment for prostate cancer.