This One Thing Wards Off "Deadly" Prostate Cancer, New Study Finds - msnNOW

Chan School of Public Health in Boston looked at the genetic data of nearly 10,500 men—2,100 who developed prostate cancer over a median follow-up period of 18 years, and almost 240 whose prostate cancer proved lethal over a median follow-up of 22 yearsH

Men with the highest genetic risk were 5.4 times more likely to develop prostate cancer, and 3.5 times more likely to die of it, than men with the lowest genetic risk. .

Researchers found that by following a healthy lifestyle, men at the highest genetic risk of fatal prostate cancer could slash their risk in half: High-risk men who had a healthy lifestyle when the study began had a lifetime lethal prostate cancer incidence of 3%, compared to 6% for high-risk men with the least healthy lifestyle, and 3% for all participants in the study.

"The excess genetic risk of lethal prostate cancer could be offset by adhering to a healthy lifestyle," said study co-lead author Anna Plym.

"Our findings add to current evidence suggesting that men with a high genetic risk may benefit from a targeted prostate cancer screening program, aiming at detecting a potentially lethal prostate cancer while it is still curable.".