NEW YORK, NY (PRWEB) APRIL 20, 2016
World renowned robotic prostate surgeon, Dr. David Samadi, urges men to know their prostate cancer risk, and take steps toward prevention where they can.
A new study funded by World Cancer Research Fund has found that factors influencing the age of puberty in boys, could affect their risk for prostate cancer in the future. The large study, measured sexual maturation using genetic markers, and found that these early puberty genes were linked to an increase in prostate cancer risk later in life.
Dr. Samadi says, “it is thought this link might be due to the effect of increased growth hormones early in life, increasing risk for prostate cancer. But more research is needed to know for sure. By measuring maturity genes in this study, the researchers were able to create a more reliable causal link between reaching puberty early and an increased risk of prostate cancer, compared to the conventional use of physical pubertal changes, which are typically imprecise.”
For most men, prostate cancer is a concern after the age of 55, but these results show evidence of early life influences on prostate cancer risk. According to Dr. Samadi, “Men should not wait until the age of 55 to know their risks and start screening. Screening for prostate cancer should be early and often.”
The study shows that growth factor hormones are the driving force behind age of puberty and prostate cancer risk & progression. If a man is found to be at risk, lifestyle interventions like dietary changes, maintenance of a healthy weight, and consuming foods that promote a healthy prostate could protect against prostate cancer later in life.
As stated by the investigators at the University of Cambridge, their research marks the first time genetic markers have been used to measure sexual maturation. Using research to explore prostate cancer risk in new ways has the potential to help us establish patterns and hopefully methods of prevention for a disease with very few modifiable risks.
Over 233,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer across the United States each year with thousands being diagnosed in New York State alone. This issue is important and prevention is key to decreasing the number of cases we see yearly in men.
Dr. Samadi stresses “there are many gaps around what we know about prostate cancer and more research is needed even in areas that have advanced over the past decade. However, research such as this, connecting puberty age and prostate cancer risk could help fill some of the gaps we currently have.”
Patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer can contact world renowned prostate cancer surgeon and urologic oncologist, Dr. David Samadi, for a phone consultation and to learn more about PSA screening. Call 212.365.5000 to set up your consultation.
