Ways to prevent prostate cancer

Some prostate cancer risks cannot be changed, including age, family history and inherited gene changes. Prevention therefore focuses on overall health and deciding whether screening is useful for you. A prostate-specific antigen blood test can lead to further assessment, but a raised result can have causes other than cancer.

Urinary symptoms such as difficulty passing urine can come from prostate enlargement, infection or other conditions, so they need assessment rather than assumptions. Read about [Difficulty Passing Urine](/symptoms/difficulty-passing-urine/).

Keep active, eat a varied diet, avoid tobacco, moderate alcohol and work toward a weight that supports your health. Tell your clinician about close relatives with prostate cancer and any known inherited cancer condition. Together, discuss whether screening should start now, what the possible next steps are, and how often to review the decision.

Do not start medicines or supplements for prevention without professional advice. They may interact with other treatment or be unsuitable for your medical history.

Book an appointment for new or persistent difficulty passing urine, blood in urine or semen, pelvic pain, or changes in sexual function. Seek urgent care if you cannot pass urine, have severe pain, fever with urinary symptoms, or feel acutely unwell. These features do not prove prostate cancer, but prompt assessment can identify treatable causes.

Ask how family history affects your screening discussion, what a PSA result can and cannot show, and whether examination or imaging might be needed. Ask how to recognise urinary problems that need urgent attention and when to return if symptoms continue.