Hereditary Prostate Cancer Information for Patients

In recent years, knowledge about hereditary prostate cancer and genetic testing has increased. While most prostate cancer is not hereditary, an estimated 12 percent of advanced prostate cancer is due to a hereditary cause.

Finding a hereditary explanation for why some men developed prostate cancer can help to:

• Guide the course of cancer treatment or decision about surgery
• Provide a reason why they or their relatives were diagnosed with cancer
• Clarify the risks for other cancers

Genetic testing is one way to understand if a person has a hereditary risk for prostate cancer. If a person undergoes genetic testing and finds that he has hereditary prostate cancer, then it means he was born with an increased risk to develop prostate and possibly other cancers. Genetic testing for hereditary prostate cancer can look for several hereditary cancer syndromes.

In addition, results of genetic testing is important information to share with relatives because they may have also inherited the same increased risk to develop cancer. When a hereditary explanation is found in a family, relatives can then better understand their risk to develop cancer, which can help guide their decisions about cancer screening, prevention, and management.