Being older than 50 is the main risk factor for prostate cancer. A risk factor is anything that makes you more likely to get a particular disease. More than 65% of new prostate cancers are diagnosed in men who are older than 65.¹ In addition, 90% of prostate cancer deaths occur in men who are older than 65.⁵

Your chances of getting the disease are higher if other men in your family have had it. Your risk is doubled if your father or brother developed prostate cancer. Your risk increases even more if those relatives were diagnosed before they were 55.⁴ However, most men who get prostate cancer have no family history of the disease.

Race and prostate cancer survival

Black men have a bigger chance of getting the kind of prostate cancer that grows and spreads. Researchers are not sure why there is a difference in disease and death rates among different races. Some experts think there may be a genetic link. Some research suggests that access to health care may play a role in survival rates.⁶

Ethnicity and 5-year survival rate (percentage of men with prostate cancer who survive for 5 years or longer)⁷

The 5-year survival rate shows the percentage of men who are still alive 5 years or more after they are diagnosed. It is important to remember that these are only averages. Everyone’s case is different, and these numbers do not show what will happen in your case.

Asian-American men develop prostate cancer more often than Asian men living in Japan and China. However, the incidence of prostate cancer in Asian-American men is lower than that of white men and much lower than that of African-American men. A Western high-fat diet may be the cause.²

Other factors that may increase your risk

• A high-fat diet. Studies that compare prostate cancer rates have found that men who live in countries where high-fat diets are common are more likely to be diagnosed with and die from prostate cancer than men who live in countries where low-fat diets are common.²
• Hormones. Researchers are studying the link between high testosterone levels and prostate cancer.⁶
• Exposure to cadmium, through smoking, diet, and workplaces such as ore smelters or factories where nickel-cadmium batteries are made. Cadmium is a chemical that has been linked to prostate cancer by early studies, but newer studies are less clear about the connection.⁷