Association between family history of prostate and breast cancer among African-American men with prostate cancer

Objectives. To explore the familial aggregation of prostate and breast cancer using data from a population-based case-control study of African-American men participating in the Flint Men's Health Study. Methods. A detailed family history questionnaire was administered to 121 African-American men with prostate cancer and 179 African-American male controls. The family history data of prostate and breast cancer in first-degree relatives were compared between men with and without prostate cancer using standard statistical methods. Results. In the Flint Men's Health Study, men with prostate cancer were more likely than controls to report having a brother with prostate cancer (age-adjusted odds ratio 4.80, 95% confidence interval 2.01 to 11.44) or a sister with breast cancer (age-adjusted odds ratio 3.80, 95% confidence interval 1.57 to 9.22). Conclusions. Although a family history of prostate cancer is a recognized prostate cancer risk factor consistent across different races, few studies have examined the co-clustering of breast and prostate cancer within African-American families. Future studies should focus on racially heterogeneous populations to further explore the observation from the Flint Men's Health Study that having a brother with prostate cancer or a sister with breast cancer may be associated with prostate cancer occurrence. This research may have implications for both gene identification and early detection strategies.