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Men Take Note of
Prostate Cancer in Family
Most
men with a family history of prostate cancer are well aware that
they are at increased risk of developing the disease themselves,
new research indicates.
Prostate cancer is the most common
cancer in U.S. men, and it is the second leading cause of cancer
death in men after lung cancer.
Very little is known about what
causes prostate cancer, but a family history of the disease has
been shown to increase a man's risk. In fact, about 42 percent
of all cases of prostate cancer are thought to be hereditary.
A team led by Dr. Jennifer L. Beebe-Dimmer
of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor set out to see whether
relatives of men with prostate cancer were aware of their increased
risk.
The study included 111 men who
had a brother who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The
men were interviewed by telephone to see how they perceived their
risk of developing prostate cancer during the next 10 years and
during their lifetime.
Most brothers of men with prostate
cancer accurately predicted that they were at increased risk of
cancer, the team reports in the April 1 issue of the journal Cancer.
Beebe-Dimmer explained that about
one out of every six men in the general population will be diagnosed
with prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. "However,
if a man has a brother, father or son diagnosed with prostate
cancer, his chances of being diagnosed are approximately one in
two," she said.
The majority of men in the study
believed that they had at least a 50-50 chance of developing prostate
cancer.
Although most men were aware of
their increased risk, younger brothers of men with cancer were
more concerned than older brothers. This is a "particularly interesting"
finding, according to the researchers, as the risk of prostate
cancer increases with age.
Older brothers may be less concerned
because they mistakenly believe that they have passed the time
of their greatest risk of cancer, according to the report.
Another possible explanation, according
to the researchers, is that older men may be less concerned because
they assume that they will not die of prostate cancer. This may
be true, as most men diagnosed with prostate cancer after age
70 end up dying of causes other than prostate cancer.
The study also found that men with
two or more close relatives were more concerned about their risk
than men with a single affected relative.
The investigators discovered that
men who were concerned about developing prostate cancer, particularly
in the short term, were more likely than other men to use alternative
medicine, such as supplements and vitamins, to try to reduce their
risk.
Supplements have not been proven
to prevent prostate cancer and may interfere with some medications.
But the findings show that men who are at high risk of developing
prostate cancer are seeking ways to reduce their risk, according
to the researchers.
Reference
Source 89
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