Is prostate cancer inherited ?
Many cases of prostate cancer are not related to inherited gene changes. These cancers are associated with somatic mutations that occur only in certain cells in the prostate.  When prostate cancer is related to inherited gene changes, the way that cancer risk is inherited depends on the gene involved. For example, mutations in the BRCA1, BRCA2, and HOXB13 genes are inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern, which means one copy of the altered gene in each cell is sufficient to increase a person's chance of developing cancer. In other cases, the inheritance of prostate cancer risk is unclear. It is important to note that people inherit an increased risk of cancer, not the disease itself. Not all people who inherit mutations in these genes will develop cancer.