According to experts, family history is the most important risk factor for prostate cancer. They said that men who have father or brother with prostate cancer are at a higher risk of contracting the disease.

Dr. David Samadi, Chairman of Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital, said, "Prostate cancer's reputation as the silent killer stems from the limited warning signs. Because of this, men must work closely with their doctors to identify all possible red flags from their family history".

Experts said it is very important to know where one stands with prostate cancer i.e. one should know whether his father or brother has prostate cancer, and if yes one should immediately fix an appointment with a prostate cancer specialist.

The Dr. Samadi Prostate Cancer Center also performs MRI Fusion Guided Biopsy to help men with an elevated PSA and to rule out prostate cancer. This technique has tremendously improved the detection and differentiation of high and low-risk prostate cancers.

The technique uses MRI, which makes the diagnosis much more accurate, especially at times when it comes to the staging of prostate cancer.

Several earlier conducted studies have also shown an increased importance of understanding and having a complete family history of prostate cancer.

Dr. Samadi noted that one should keep a track of all the affected relatives. This will push patients and will help specialists towards making more informed screening, monitoring and treatment decisions.

Researchers at the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute found that having a first-degree relative with prostate cancer increased the risk from 2.5 to 7.7 times more likely to develop the disease.