More and More Younger Men Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer, Especially if a Family History
Maybe they're just getting screening when normally they wouldn't, but more and more younger men are being diagnosed with prostate cancer. According to a new study, the number of younger men diagnosed with prostate cancer has increased nearly 6-fold in the last 20 years, and the disease is more likely to be aggressive in these younger men, researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have found. Typically, prostate cancer occurs more frequently as men age into their 70s or 80s. Many prostate cancers are slow-growing and many older men diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer will end up dying from causes other than prostate cancer. But, the researchers found, when prostate cancer strikes at a younger age, it’s likely because the tumor is growing quickly. Cancer almost always is more aggressive in younger people. “Early onset prostate cancer tends to be aggressive, striking down men in the prime of their life. These fast-growing tumors ...