Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List

| A | | B | | C | | D | | E | | F | | G | | H | | I | | J | | K | | L | | M |
| N | | O | | P | | Q | | R | | S | | T | | U | | V | | W | | X | | Y |

Causes of Cancer of the prostate

The cause of prostate cancer is unknown, although some factors appears to increase the likelihood of this type of cancer developing including:

  • Men with a brother, uncle or father who have, or had, prostate cancer are at a slightly higher risk,
  • Afro-Caribbean and African-American men are more affected compared to whites, and it is rare among men in the Far East.
  • Meat eating - vegetarians are half as likely to get prostate cancer than meat eaters. This supports the scientific theory that selenium and lycopenes (found in vegetables, particularly tomatoes) offer protection against prostate cancer.