The first prostate cancer cells start when men are in their 20's and
30's.  It takes almost 40 years before they can be detected.  In the
past, detection was done by DRE which found the cancer at a later stage
than is found nowadays when the cancer is detected from biopsies
triggered by rises in PSA.

Basically, the literature you read is correct, but it refers to
conditions in the past.  Since 80% of 80 year olds have detectable
prostate cancer under autopsy, this would mean that 80% of 40 year olds
have at least one prostate cancer cell in them.  The more men you do
biopsies on at younger ages, the more likely you are to detect these
cancer cells.  Since more biopsies are being done now on men in their
40's and 50's than were done in the past, more prostate cancer is being
detected in these age groups.

Ed Friedman

hi dick - probably because we would all be dead by the age of 70 and not
included in the figures under the old ways when they gathered the facts.

pca just didn't pop up in men of our age group, it's always been there.
the fact that screening techniques are better are catching it earlier.  

i firmly believe that in a few years, that when they gather more data,
the 70 number will be pushed down toward 60 a lot more or even lower.

~ curtis

knowledge is power - growing old is mandatory - growing wise is optional    
"Many more men die with prostate cancer than of it. Growing old is
invariably fatal. Prostate cancer is only sometimes so."
http://community.webtv.net/PALMER_ENT/doc

I suspect many 70+ guys don't use computers that much if at all.  The
youngsters are clued into the computer world so you see more of 40s and
50 somethings.

Dale j.

We believe "baby boomers" and younger people are more apt to use a computer,
though there is only one person in my entire extended family, an uncle, who
does not use a computer.

There is also the probability that "baby boomers" are more likely to use a
support group of any kind.  At least in the United States.

Then there are the possible psychological issues of getting a terminal
disease at 40, or 50, or 60, or 70....  I'm sure at 80, the first reaction
is something like, "well, I guess this is what does me in."  At 40, it's "I
haven't even lived half my life yet!"  The older you get, or the worse your
health gets, the more accepting you are that you have cancer and the less
you need a support group.  This of course can be mitigated at earlier ages.
For instance, while stunned, I think Curtis and I were kind of expecting it.
But, we're here anyway.

I don't think there have been any studies on the subject and I'm just
guessing.