Other than skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men.
The American Cancer Society estimates 268,490 new cases of prostate cancer and about 34,500 deaths from prostate cancer in the United States in 2022.
You can’t control certain risk factors. Those include age, family history, race, the size of your prostate and BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations. Still, you can make some choices that help decrease your risk of getting prostate cancer. “For many, prostate cancer is not a very aggressive disease and can be managed easily,” says Jonathan Silberstein, MD, the chief of urologic oncology at Memorial Healthcare System in Aventura, Pembroke Pines and Boca Raton. That’s why early identification and screening are so important. That way, if you do have prostate cancer, you can catch it early. “Far more than any measure to prevent prostate cancer are early detection and screening,” he says. “Screening for prostate cancer has been demonstrated to save lives.”
Dr. Silberstein says that men should start screening at age 45. A screening entails a blood test and quick prostate exam. Screening guidelines will then be catered to one’s individual risk. “We can offer prolonged cancer-free survival with the right treatment,” he says, explaining that treatment options depend on the stage and grade of prostate cancer.
Preventing prostate cancer is more about what not to do. Here are suggestions on what to avoid.
Smoking
In addition to raising your risk of heart and lung disease as well as cancers of the bladder and kidneys, smoking could boost the odds that you’ll develop aggressive prostate cancer which may spread through the body.
Obesity
Overweight men have a higher risk of developing advanced prostate cancer or prostate cancer that is more likely to be fatal. That means you should watch your body weight. “We don’t have any clear evidence that any specific diet decreases the risk of prostate cancer,” says Dr. Silberstein. “But we do know that obesity is associated with worse prostate cancer.”
Eating Poorly
Eat plenty of fruits and veggies and whole grains. Avoid or limit red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages and highly processed foods. “Eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising regularly is more likely to help keep them alive,” says Dr. Silberstein, who explains that most people with prostate cancer die from other conditions such as heart disease.
Taking Selenium Or Vitamin E
They’ve been found to actually increase the odds of developing prostate cancer, says Dr. Silberstein.