The causes of prostate cancer are largely unknown. However there are some likely risk factors that can increase your chances of developing prostate cancer. Below are 6 common risk factors of prostate cancer.

1. Age is the key risk factor -- the risk of prostate cancer increases with age.

2. The disease more likely to occur in men of black African origin than those of European or Asian origins. This is known from comparative data collected in the United States.

3. Prostate cancer occurs more frequently in Europe and North America than in East Asia. Experts suspect the basis for this observation is the difference in lifestyle and living conditions that affect the risk of prostate cancer. A high fat, high calorie diet may increase the chances of prostate cancer development.

4. Those with a family history of prostate cancer fall ill with the disease more frequently than the rest of the population. Thus, the prostate cancer risk for a man increases two to threefold if he has a father or brother with the disease. If both his father and brother develop prostate cancer, that same man's risk increases by five times. Genetic factors and a hereditary predisposition are therefore clearly important.

Prostate cancer seems to be associated with the gene HPC-1. A mutation of the HPC-1 gene seems to play a role particularly in prostate cancer patients who are relatively young and in families with three or more cases of prostate cancer. However, because the gene is still not fully understood, testing for prostate cancer risk is not yet possible. According to current investigations, about 5-10% of all prostate cancer is hereditary.

5. The male sex hormone testosterone, created in the testes, also promotes the growth of prostate cancer cells and metastases. Testosterone therefore can make an already existing case of the disease worse. This is why testosterone deprivation is an advantageous treatment.

6. There are some suspicions that a vasectomy (a permanent birth control method where the vasa deferentia are cut for sterilization) increases the risk of prostate cancer, but this has still not been confirmed.

Overall, there is still not enough knowledge on the risk factors and causes of prostate cancer.