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Why
African-American men are at higher risk for
prostate cancer
Newswise —
African-American men face a higher risk of
developing prostate cancer in their
lifetime, but researchers do not fully
understand why.
• African-American men
have the highest incidence of prostate
cancer in the world.
• Prostate cancer tends to be more
aggressive in African Americans compared to
Caucasians.
• African-American men are more likely to
die from prostate cancer than their
Caucasian counterparts.
• Different genes may be involved in
prostate cancer in African-American men than
in Caucasian men.
“Many prostate cancer
research programs include too few African
Americans, yet African-American men have
such a tremendously high risk of the
disease, we felt it important to reach out
to this community,” says Kathleen Cooney,
M.D., professor of internal medicine and
urology at the University of Michigan
Medical School.
Cooney leads efforts at
the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center to focus
research on understanding what genetic
factors lead to this disparity for prostate
cancer. Here’s what researchers know:
“If the genetic risk
factors are different between
African-American men and Caucasian men, we
need to know that in order to develop
genetic tests appropriate for different
populations,” says Cooney, interim chief of
hematology/oncology and co-director of the
urologic oncology program at the U-M
Comprehensive Cancer Center.
“We hope to be able to
find a gene or genes associated with risk
for prostate cancer. Then we can develop
genetic tests that will allow us to tell men
what their likelihood of developing the
disease may be. This information might
result in more intense screening for men
carrying the risk genes,” Cooney says.
This year, 218,890 men
will be diagnosed with prostate cancer.
About one of every six men will be diagnosed
with prostate cancer in his lifetime.
African-American men are 1.6 times more
likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer
than Caucasian men.
Prostate cancer is the
second-leading cause of cancer deaths in
American men, with about 27,050 men expected
to die from the disease this year.
African-Americans are 2.4 times more likely
to die from prostate cancer.
Other risks
Two other factors, in addition to race,
increase the risk of prostate cancer:
• Age. This is the main risk factor as
prostate cancer seldom occurs in men younger
than 45. The risk goes up sharply after age
65.
• Family history. If your father or brother
had prostate cancer, you’re at an increased
risk.
No matter what a man’s
risks, the key is early detection. The
American Cancer Society recommends a PSA
test and digital rectal exam every year
beginning at age 50. PSA, which stands for
prostate specific antigen, is a blood test
that looks at the level of a certain protein
in the prostate. Higher levels could
indicate cancer. Men at higher risk of
prostate cancer – either African-Americans
or men with a family history – should begin
screening earlier.
“If you’re an
African-American man and you have at least
one brother affected with prostate cancer,
you have a greater chance of being diagnosed
with the disease compared to the general
population. You should speak to your
physician about being tested for prostate
cancer with a PSA test, perhaps at an
earlier age,” Cooney says.
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