Recent news reports state that King Charles III of the United Kingdom will undergo surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Many patients worry if BPH can lead to prostate cancer.

There is no need to worry; the risk of prostate cancer does not increase due to benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Below are common risk factors for prostate cancer:

Prostate Cancer Risk Factors

1. Family History

• The younger the age of diagnosis of prostate cancer in the patient’s father or brother, the higher the patient’s risk.
• The more family members diagnosed with prostate cancer, the higher the patient’s risk.
• The higher the degree of kinship with family members who have prostate cancer, the higher the patient’s risk.

2. Obesity

• Obese patients, if diagnosed with prostate cancer, may have more aggressive cancer cells.
• Obese patients have a higher chance of recurrence after surgery or radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

3. Vitamin D Intake

• Men living in high latitudes with less sunlight exposure have a higher mortality rate after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.
• Prostate cancer is more common in older men, possibly related to less sunlight exposure.
• African Americans lack the ability to activate vitamin D in the skin, and they have the highest worldwide incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer.
• Consuming dairy products increases calcium intake but decreases serum vitamin D concentration, possibly related to prostate cancer.
• Japanese people, who consume a large amount of fish rich in vitamin D, have a lower incidence of prostate cancer.
• Prostate cancer cells have vitamin D receptors, and some studies suggest that vitamin D may inhibit the invasion and metastasis of prostate cancer cells. However, current research has not reached a consensus.

4. Smoking

Large studies indicate that smokers, if diagnosed with prostate cancer, are more likely to experience metastasis and higher mortality rates.

5. Diet

Due to the complexity of diet, there is currently no consensus on which diet has an absolute high risk. Regarding some previously suggested recommendations, here are some points:

• Some articles suggest a higher risk of prostate cancer with higher fat intake, but the correlation is not strong.
• Dietary habits that favor meat consumption may also reduce vegetable intake. These vegetables may contain protective factors against prostate cancer.
• Cooking red meat at high temperatures may produce carcinogens that could cause prostate cancer.
• Those with lower serum cholesterol levels have a lower risk of prostate cancer.

Is There a Preventive Method?

Currently, small studies suggest that taking certain diabetes medications, lipid-lowering drugs, vitamin E, and the trace element selenium may help prevent prostate cancer. However, there are no large-scale studies indicating that specific foods can reduce the mortality rate of prostate cancer.

In conclusion, to combat prostate cancer, here are some things we can do:

1. Avoid excessive intake of meat and fats.
2. Ensure adequate intake of vegetables.
3. Get moderate sun exposure to avoid vitamin D deficiency.
4. For friends who smoke, try to reduce smoking.
5. For overweight friends, try to lose weight.
6. For those meeting the criteria for prostate cancer screening, undergo PSA testing. Please read What is Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA)?

Dr. Wu wishes you good health.