It’s never been more important for men under 50 to know their prostate cancer risk as we witness what appears to be a generational shift in the number of younger men being diagnosed with the disease.

Prostate cancer is traditionally associated with older age but that assumption could be deadly.

The latest Australian cancer data shows a 6.7-fold increase in the men aged 40-49 years diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2024 compared to 2000.

That’s a sizeable increase in the space of just two decades.

What’s most concerning is that we don’t yet know why we are seeing this increase in younger men under 50 being diagnosed, including with metastatic forms of the disease.

We do know that prostate cancer can be a genetic time bomb. But men who don’t know their family background are oblivious, even though they are up to seven times more likely to develop this type of cancer. 

Statistics show while one in five Australian men – and one in eight in New Zealand – will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime, the risk is about double the average for those with a father or brother with the cancer.

If that man has two or more close relatives who have had prostate cancer then their risk increases up to seven times the average.

We also know that BRCA gene mutations for breast and ovarian cancers in a family can also dramatically increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer. Alarmingly many men remain unaware they’re at risk.

September is prostate cancer awareness month and updated National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines for the early detection of prostate cancer in Australia are due to be released, including a recommendation for baseline PSA test for men who request it at age 40.

They will also call for earlier and more frequent testing for men at higher risk, including those with a family history or of sub-Saharan ancestry, starting at age 40.

It’s a welcome change and we hope it will put a dent in what is a silent epidemic, unnecessarily robbing men of their lives decades ahead of their time. 

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia. Each year more than 26,000 Australian men are diagnosed and nearly 4000 will die from the disease. 

In New Zealand, there are about 4000 new cases each year, claiming 700 lives, with Māori men 72 per cent more likely to die of prostate cancer after diagnosis than their non-Māori peers.

Detecting prostate cancer early gives the best chance of cure. If you are a man over 40 who has a family history then you are strongly advised to get a baseline PSA test.

Not all prostate cancers need treatment, but having a PSA blood test and MRI can give peace of mind. These tests focus on finding significant cancers that matter.

The reality is that most prostate cancers develop without any symptoms at all. So it is important to get checked preemptively.

Early detection saves lives. A quick blood test could make all the difference between catching prostate cancer early, when it’s most treatable, and not missing the chance for cure.

This is about driving down mortality rates, giving men the best possible chance of surviving prostate cancer, and living as long and as healthily as they can.

I’m urging all men, especially those under 50 to know their prostate cancer risk.