Prostate cancer prevention: risk reduction through life-style, diet, and chemoprevention.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To provide an overview of factors related to life-style, diet, and chemoprevention agents that may help lower the incidence of prostate cancer in the future.

DATA SOURCES

Analysis of literature from MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD), published journal articles, papers from journal bibliographies, and protocol of the Southwest Oncology Group Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Information related to prostate cancer prevention is accumulating, which may lead to a decreased disease incidence. Promising areas include use of chemoprevention, identification of life-style and dietary factors that may affect prostate cancer risk, and identification of genetic factors involved in prostatic carcinogenesis.

CONCLUSIONS

Increased understanding of hormonal and genetic changes that occur during prostatic carcinogenesis may lead to effective methods of preventing this disease. Prostate cancer risk may be reduced by altering life-style and dietary factors and by using chemoprevention agents.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

Oncology nurses play an important role in prostate cancer prevention through cancer risk assessment and patient and public education related to risk-reduction strategies.