Prostate cancer risk factor

PROSTATE cancer is the most common cancer among African-American men and the second biggest cancer killer of African-American men.

African-American men are 70 percent more likely to develop the disease and twice as likely to die from it than their White counterparts. The American Cancer Society estimates that 25,300 African-American men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001, and that 6,100 died.

Experts say that race is a surrogate factor in the disparity between Black and White prostate cancer rates. Blacks are more likely to be poorer, more likely to lack access to adequate health care, more likely to eat the wrong kinds of food and more likely to forego early screenings. "Prostate cancer is no different in Black men than in White men," says Dr. Stephen B. Thomas, Director of the Center for Minority Health at the University of Pittsburgh. "The difference is in the social context in which this disease is being addressed."

Prostate cancer is not a death sentence, Early detection and treatment can halt prostate cancer before it reaches an advanced stage, African-American men 45 or older should begin taking an annual prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) along with a digital rectal exam and have regular checkups. Those with fathers or brothers with the disease should start at age 40. If prostate cancer is detected at an early stage, it can be treated with surgery or radiation and chemotherapy. Your doctor can help you weigh the advantages and possible disadvantages of the two major options. Within recent years, specialists have developed new ways of treating the disease through brachytherapy, or seed implants. Doctors inject 70 to 150 radioactive seeds the size of a rice grain into the prostate gland. The seeds' radiation kills cancer cells throughout the entire gland.

"We need Black men to be aware of the risk and engage their health care providers," Dr. Thomas says. "And we need to figure out how to build a much more trusting relationship between Black men and health care providers."