The Gene Nobody Talks About: BRCA, Men, and the Prostate Cancer Connection
Updated: 5 days ago
BRCA Is Not Just a Women's Issue
Say the word BRCA out loud, and most people picture the same thing. A woman. A breast cancer diagnosis. A pink ribbon.
That picture is not wrong, but it is dangerously incomplete.
BRCA is not a woman's gene. It is a human gene, carried by every one of us, and when it carries a mutation, it not only threatens the women in a family. It threatens the men, too.
This is the part of the story that gets left out, and that omission has cost lives.
What BRCA Actually Is
BRCA1 and BRCA2 are genes that everyone has. Their normal job is to help repair damaged DNA and keep cell growth in check. When one of these genes is mutated, that repair system works less well, and the risk of certain cancers increases.
In women, BRCA mutations are strongly linked to breast and ovarian cancer. In men, the same mutations raise the risk of prostate cancer and a smaller risk of male breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and others.
Here is the key fact: A father can pass on a BRCA mutation to his children just as a mother can.
If you only ever look at your mother's side of the family for cancer history, you are reading half the map.
Why This Matters for Prostate Cancer
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers among men, and it hits Black men especially hard.
In the United States Virgin Islands, Black men are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more likely to be diagnosed with an aggressive form of it. According to the Virgin Islands Cancer Registry, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the USVI and has an extremely high incidence rate compared to the mainland U.S.
Inherited BRCA mutations further increase this risk.
That combination is exactly why family history matters so much. A man who knows that breast or ovarian cancer runs in either side of his family, or that a relative tested positive for a BRCA mutation, is holding information that could change his screening plan.
It might mean starting PSA screening earlier. It might mean talking to his doctor about genetic testing. It might simply mean paying closer attention rather than assuming prostate cancer is a problem for older men down the road.
Who Should Think About Genetic Testing?
Genetic testing is not for everyone, and it is a personal choice. But it is worth a conversation with your doctor or a genetic counselor if:
Breast, ovarian, prostate, or pancreatic cancer appears more than once in your family.
Cancer has occurred in your family at younger ages.
A relative has already tested positive for a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.
You have Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, which carries higher BRCA mutation rates.
A positive result does not mean you will get cancer. It means you and your care team can watch more closely and act earlier if needed.
And it means the information can help protect the rest of your family, including your children.
Knowing Your Father's Side Matters
For generations, men have been taught to tough it out and skip the doctor. Prostate cancer thrives on that silence. So does BRCA.
If your father, grandfather, uncle, or brother has faced cancer, that is not just their story. It may be part of yours.
Ask the questions. Write down the answers. Bring them to your provider.
The women in your life have been having this conversation for years. It is time for the men to join it.
We are linked by genes. We are united by hope.
If cancer runs in your family, talk to your doctor about what BRCA could mean for you, and find resources to get started at yagfoundation.org.
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