These are:

Your diet

Prostate cancer is most common in Western countries. Research indicates that prostate cancer is associated with eating high levels of saturated fat, in particular red meat and processed meat products. We know that eating plenty of fruits, vegetables and cereals, and reducing fat, salt and sugar intakes help to keep your general risk of cancer low. Our healthy eating section contains advice on the benefits that healthy food can bring.

Your genes

Prostate cancer is more likely to develop in certain families than others, which shows that inherited faulty or altered genes can play a role in causing it. This is probably only a factor in about 9 per cent of prostate cancers, however.

Statistics show that:

• a man whose father or brother has had prostate cancer is about twice as likely to develop the condition as a man who has no close relatives with it.
• the risk of having prostate cancer increases according to the number of people in your family who have developed it.
• having a relative who developed prostate cancer below the age of 65 increases your chances of developing it.
• there is a genetic link between breast cancer and prostate cancer in some families. If close female relatives have developed breast cancer, particularly below the age of 40, you may be at increased risk of developing prostate cancer.

Your ethnic background

Your ethnic background can be a factor in how likely it is that you will develop prostate cancer:

• men from Afro-Caribbean backgrounds are more likely to develop prostate cancer.
• men from Asian backgrounds are less likely to develop prostate cancer.

Screening

There is no organised screening programme for prostate cancer, but men who would like to can ask their doctor for a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test. This provides information about the health of their prostate. The PSA is a blood test and it can only give an indication of whether prostate cancer is likely to be present. Cancerbackup has developed a leaflet to help you make the right decision for you.

Your doctor may also recommend a digital rectal examination to assess the health of your prostate.