Causes & Risk Factors

Researchers aren’t clear about what causes prostate cancer. Like all cancers, it could be caused by many things, including a family history or exposure to certain chemicals. Despite not knowing the exact causes, researchers have found several factors that might affect a person’s risk of getting prostate cancer:

  • Age: Prostate cancer is rare in men younger than 40, but the chance of having prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50.
  • Family History: Having a blood relative who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer increases a person’s risk of developing the cancer themselves.
  • Obesity: People who are obese may have a higher risk of prostate cancer compared with people who are not.
  • Race/Ethnicity: For reasons not yet determined, Black people have a greater risk of prostate cancer than do people of other races.

When to See a Doctor

If you have any continual signs or symptoms of prostate cancer, make an appointment with your doctor right away. Also, make an appointment if you contain any of the risk factors associated with the cancer.

Our Cancer Services

Depending on the type of cancer and how far it has spread, BASS Cancer Center and the BASS Medical Group offers a wide range of treatment options, including surgery, radiation therapy, and systemic therapies.   

Our state-of-the-art cancer center features a full-service medical oncology clinic, including infusion suite, multiple exam rooms, and a PET/CT scanner. We also provide the most technologically advanced radiation oncology treatment in California. Our cancer experts use an Elekta VersaHD CT-Guided linear accelerator with Visionrt’s AlignRT Surface Guided technology (SGRT) and an MR-Guided Linear Accelerator (ViewRay MRIdian).

The VersaHD and MRIdian augment each platform’s capabilities and give the patient and BASS physician an unprecedented ability to tailor a radiotherapy treatment course best fit for each person’s case. Our AlignRT SGRT platform utilizes innovative optical technology to accurately track a patient’s position before and during treatment without exposing them to any additional radiation (commonly needed by other radiotherapy platforms for maintaining setup). Additionally, SGRT allows some patients the choice to avoid permanent marks on their bodies.