Two Cancers, One Fight: The Power of Screening and Awareness

The fall season brings in cancer awareness months for the most common non-skin cancer in men, prostate, and the most common cancer in women, breast. Prostate Cancer Awareness Month is observed in September and encourages men to get screened, learn about risks, and discuss treatment options with their healthcare providers. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to raise awareness about this complex disease and to show support for the many people affected by breast cancer, men and women.

Their underlying biology and risk factors show remarkable similarities shared by both disease types. Both are hormone-dependent cancers, often involving the hormone receptors for estrogen for breast cancer and androgen for prostate cancer. They share familiar risk genes of BRCA1 and BRCA2, which increases the risk for both breast and prostate cancers. Both cancers can share similar types of chromosomal alterations, such as somatic copy number alterations, suggesting common underlying molecular mechanisms. Both diseases are assessed in a family history questionnaire since a strong family history of either cancer increases the risk of developing that cancer, indicating a shared genetic component to cancer susceptibility. Other common risk factors are increased age and obesity, which are linked to increased inflammation, hormone changes, and metabolic factors that promote tumor growth. Suppressing hormone production of estrogen or androgen lowers risk, thus their hormone dependency allows a mutual treatment pathway using drugs that inhibit or degrade the hormone receptors, demonstrating a fundamental biological link between them. And tumor cells in both cancers can mutate to become resistant to the hormone therapies, highlighting a shared adaptation to treatment or adaptive resistance. The biological similarities allow for similar strategies to target and treat these diseases, including the development of new drugs and a deeper understanding of how tumors adapt to therapy.

Mammograms are used for breast cancer screening, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests are used for prostate screening. The diseases differ in their primary affected organ and are dissimilar in progression patterns. Breast cancer can be aggressive and may have spread systemically by time of diagnosis. Prostate cancer tends to be slower growing and less aggressive, with about 90% of tumors diagnosed before spreading.¹ While both can be fatal if metastatic, metastatic prostate cancer to the bone is often considered more aggressive and life-threatening than metastatic breast cancer.

Despite these differences, early detection of these cancers through mammograms and PSA tests is crucial for improving outcomes and survival rates. Prostate and breast cancers have 5-year survival rates exceeding 99% for localized diseases and early-stage diagnoses.² As a seasoned navigator, I ask that you get your screening and tune in to your family history!

References

1. City of Hope. Prostate cancer types. Updated May 10, 2022. www.cancercenter.com/cancer-types/prostate-cancer/types
2. Siegel RL, Kratzer TB, Giaquinto AN, et al. Cancer statistics, 2025. CA Cancer J Clin. 2025;75:10-45.