A “dangerously biased” combination of social factors and inadequate research is raising Black men’s already-heightened risk of developing prostate cancer, a U.K. charity has stated
Black men in Britain have 2.5 times the risk of dying from prostate cancer as the country’s white men, and twice the risk of getting the disease in the first place, Prostate Cancer U.K. stated.
Prostate Cancer U.K. surveyed 2,000 Black people to better understand the reasons for these statistics.
Racial discrimination
Sixty-two percent of respondents believed racial discrimination had prevented them or a loved one from getting routine prostate cancer checks.
Prostate cancer is often diagnosed following a blood test that measures levels of something called “prostate-specific antigen” or PSA.
More than half of people surveyed believe discrimination affects Black people’s access to healthcare more widely.
Almost 60% of respondents believed it had stopped them or a loved one from getting medical tests or treatment. And 27% expected to get worse care from the country’s public health system than a white person would recieve.
A lack of representation in research was a key area of concern for many respondents. Nearly 60% strongly agreed that more research should include Black people, while the same proportion believed more Black people should participate in studies.
Most people believe things “will only improve” when more Black people were involved in studies.
Disproportionate burden of disease
Prostate is the most common type of cancer found in British men, with more than 55,000 diagnosed each year between, according to Cancer Research U.K. It’s also the second deadliest cancer for men, killing 12,000 people a year.
As the country’s population ages, prostate cancer rates are set to rise substantially. Prostate Cancer U.K. expects 82,5000 men to be diagnosed anually between 2038 and 2040. Around 17,500 of these men are expected to die each year.
If Black people face the same barriers to care and research, they will continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of this burden, the charity warned.
Targeted screening
Men aren’t screened as part of a national program in the U.K. because of concerns over the accuracy of testing.
But Prostate Cancer Research U.K. called on the government to set up screening for high-risk groups like Black men ‘as a minumum.”
The charity has also set up an “infopool” to provide information about prostate cancer, as well as a clinical trial finder to help as many people as possible enroll in research.
But it says more doctors and leaders need to learn about the risks Black men face to help address unequal outcomes.
“It is vital we raise awareness not only among the community, but also among healthcare professionals and policymakers,” Prostate Cancer Research U.K. chief executive Oliver Kemp said in a statement. “We are calling on primary care physicians to be mindful of black men’s greater risk when considering PSA testing, and on government to introduce screening for men in high risk groups.
“Our data shows that 82% of black men would be willing to take part in such a programme, if it were rolled out,” he added. “It is staggering to think of how many lives could be saved.”
