Have you recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, or lost friends or family members to the disease? To avoid the same outcome, Dr. James Smith, a PHEN Ambassador, advises getting early prostate cancer screenings.
During PHEN’s monthly Managing Survivorship Webinar, Dr. Smith discussed the racial disparity in prostate cancer and the importance of early detection screening. According to Smith:
- One in six Black men are diagnosed with prostate cancer;
- Black men die from prostate cancer at a rate of 2.4 times higher than men of all other racial and ethnic groups throughout the United States;
- Black men are diagnosed with the disease at a 73% higher rate than White men and die at a 120% higher rate.
Despite the significant racial disparity, Dr. Smith explained that men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer have a 10-year survival rate above 95% while men with late-stage prostate cancer have a 10-year survival rate no larger than 35%.
“Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in African American men and second to skin cancer in Caucasian men,” stated Dr. Smith. “The most common form of cancer in the prostate is adenocarcinoma, which is normally a slow-growing cancer, but we don’t see this type of cancer as often in African American men.”
Dr. Smith also discussed prostate cancer detection methods including the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and the digital rectal examination (DRE). The PSA test is a simple blood test that shows whether the protein known as the prostate-specific antigen is at normal levels or at high levels. Elevated PSA levels may indicate prostate cancer but can also specify noncancerous, benign problems including an enlarged prostate.
According to the American Cancer Society, men should begin screening for prostate cancer between 40 and 50 years of age. The American Cancer Society states African American men and other high-risk men should begin screening for prostate cancer at 45 years old. Those at highest risk with more than one first-degree relative who faced prostate cancer early in life should have their first PSA test at 40 years old. Men with a life expectancy of 10 years or more should consider continuing PSA testing. Remember: prostate cancer can be curable if detected early.
To learn more about early detection screening, view PHEN’s monthly Managing Survivorship Webinar here.
