According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer affects 1 in 8 men throughout their lifetime.
The risk of having prostate cancer is higher amongst black men, they’re two times increased risk of dying from the disease compared to non-Hispanic white males.
What Is Prostate Cancer?
The prostate is a gland found only in males. Its job is to contribute some of the fluid that becomes semen. Prostate cancer begins when cells in the prostate gland start to grow out of control.
Prostate cancer usually develops slowly not causing symptoms until it’s large enough to interfere with urination or sexual function.
The prostate-specific antigen test (PSA test) measures the levels of prostate-specific antigens within a man’s blood. The PSA level can rise as a result of changes in the prostate cell lining, which can be caused by prostate cancer.
High Prostate Cancer Rates in African-American Men
According to research, West African men have a lower rate of prostate cancer and mortality than African-American men in the USA.
Researchers at the University of Michigan’s U-M Rogel Cancer Center conducted a study to better understand outcomes and what factors might be driving poor prostate health analyzing data from more than 300,000 prostate cancer patients.
The researchers behind the study discovered that black males, who were at the same cancer stage as their white counterparts, had no increased risk of dying from prostate cancer.
The differences in mortality rates among these groups seemed to be due to external factors, such as standard treatment, economic status, and access to care.
Even when accounting for variables, black men appeared to die more frequently than whites from other causes such as heart disease.
As a result, the main barrier to black males with prostate cancer getting access to high-quality healthcare and guideline-consistent treatment is most likely rooted in complex socio-cultural inequalities within the U.S.
According to the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, other possible contributors for more black men obtaining prostate cancer are related to lifestyle, diet, and testosterone exposure in-utero.
7 Prostate Health Tips
Men who have an increased likelihood to get prostate cancer may make efforts to decrease their risk by following this type of a healthy lifestyle:
- Limit alcohol consumption
- Eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables
- Exercise regularly
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Do not smoke or use tobacco products
- Reduce the amount of red meat you eat
- Get screened for prostate cancer if you are in a high-risk group (including Africa-Americans)
Following these simple lifestyle changes can have a big impact on your health and quality of life.
If you are black, it is especially important to pay attention to prostate health to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion
There is a higher prevalence of prostate cancer among black men than any other racial group. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take on your own to improve prostate health and live a healthier life.
Bringing awareness to these healthy strategies may help black men lower their risk of dying from prostate cancer.
Written by: Emmanuel J. Osemota
Resources:
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/psa-test/about/pac-20384731
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2569237/
- https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/fullarticle/2734259
- https://academic.oup.com/jnci/article/89/3/188/2526672
