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Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer

Last updated and reviewed on March 25, 2026. 

Anything that increases your chance of developing a disease is called a risk factor. Sometimes, risk factors directly cause a disease. For example, smoking causes damage to lung cells that leads to lung cancer. Most often, though, risk factors do not directly cause a disease. Instead, many small changes over time lead to the genetic changes that cause cancer.

It is important to remember that having one or more risk factors for a disease does not guarantee you will develop that disease. It is also possible to develop a disease even if you do not have any known risk factors. 

What raises your risk for developing prostate cancer?

The well-established and probable risk factors for prostate cancer:

• Age. Your chance of developing prostate cancer increases as you get older. The average age at diagnosis is 66.  

• Race/ethnicity. Black men are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. They are also diagnosed at earlier ages and are more likely to have more aggressive prostate cancer. 

• Family history. If you have a first-degree relative, such as a father, son, or brother, with prostate cancer, you have a higher risk of developing the disease. Having second- or third-degree relatives with prostate cancer on your mother’s or father’s side also increases your risk. A family history of breast, ovarian, and pancreatic cancer can also increase your risk of prostate cancer. 

• Genetics. Some inherited genetic changes put you at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. For example, changes to the BRCA1/2 genes increase your risk. Lynch syndrome, a rare genetic condition, also increases the risk of developing prostate cancer.  

• Hormone levels. IGF-1 is a hormone. It regulates normal cell growth. Research has shown that high levels of IGF-1 increase the risk of developing prostate cancer. 

• Diet. Regularly eating a diet high in saturated fat, well-done meats, and too much calcium has been linked to an increased risk of developing advanced prostate cancer.

• Obesity and overweight. Carrying too much weight has been linked to a higher risk of advanced prostate cancer. 

• Pesticides. Exposure to high levels of pesticides has been linked to an increased risk of prostate cancer.

Research is ongoing to understand all of the different risk factors that can lead to prostate cancer. Age, race, and family history remain the only well-established risk factors. Dietary and lifestyle risk factors are more difficult to study. The association between these risk factors and prostate cancer is less consistent across studies.