Epidemiology of prostate cancer

The increase in prostate cancer rates between 1976 and 1994 may be the result of improved detection and greater awareness of the disease and possibly an increased life expectancy rather than a true increase in the prevalence of the disease. Marked racial and geographic differences in incidence of the disease probably have several causes. Evidence for the familial inheritance of some prostate cancers is compelling; other potential risk factors, such as dietary influences, hormonal milieu, and the role of environmental carcinogens, are being investigated.