Prostate Cancer
Improve prostate cancer outcomes
Prostate Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among African American men.
Here are the facts:
- Prostate cancer starts earlier and grows faster in African American men.
- Screening can catch the disease early when treatment is more effective.
Get screened. If you are 45 or older, insured or uninsured, call University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) Cancer Control at 412-623-1266 to get more information or to schedule a screening.
Risk Factors:
- Race/Ethnicity: African American men have a higher rate of prostate cancer and are more than twice as likely to die of the disease.
- Age: African American men have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer at a younger age.
- Diet and Lifestyle: Men who eat a lot of red meat, dairy products, and saturated fat may have a slightly higher chance of getting prostate cancer.
- Family History and Genes: Prostate cancer can run in some families, suggesting a possible inherited factor. Men who have a father, brother or son with prostate cancer may have a higher risk of getting the disease.
- Environment: The evidence linking environmental exposures and prostate cancer is still being worked out. Studies are underway to better understand these environmental risk factors.
Talk To Your Health Care Provider About Prostate Health:
- Recommended screening for prostate cancer includes both Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), a blood test, and Digital Rectal Exam (DRE).
- Testing should start at age 45, or earlier if there is a strong family history of prostate cancer.
- To schedule a screening or get additional information,please call the UPMC Cancer Centers, Department of Cancer Control at 412-623-1266.
Eat Well:
- Limit the amount of red meat, saturated fat, and dairy products you eat.
- Eat fruits and vegetables that contain lycopene such as tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon.
THE GOOD NEWS
Prostate cancer screening that includes both PSA and DRE improves early diagnosis and makes prostate cancer a treatable disease for African American men.
Get More Information:
Jani AB, Vaidad F, Hanks G, Asbell S, Sartor O, Moul JW et al: Changing Face and different countenances of prostate cancer: racial and geographic differences in prostate-specific antigen (PSA), stage , and grade trends in the PSA era. Int J Cancer 2001; 96: 363-371.
This article investigates changes in pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA), stage, and grade over the past decade as a function of race and geographic region.
Parent, M.-E. and Siemiatycki, J. (2001) Occupation and prostate cancer. Epidemiol. Rev., 23, 138–143.
This article considers evidence regarding the possible role of occupation and occupational exposures.
Powell IJ. Epidemiology and pathophysiology of prostate cancer in African-American men. J Urol 2007; 177: 444–9.
Along with increasing age and a positive family history sub-Saharan African ancestry has long been recognized as an important risk factor for prostate cancer. In the United States the incidence of prostate cancer is approximately 60% higher in African-American than in European-American men and the mortality rate from the disease is more than twice as high. The purpose of this review article is to examine specific reports highlighting racial disparity and its possible causes.
Powell IP, Banerjee M, Bianco FJ, Wood DP Jr, Dey J, Lai Z et al. The effect of race/ethnicity on prostate cancer treatment outcome is conditional: a review of Wayne State University data. J Urol 2004; 171: 1508.
The mortality rate for prostate cancer in black American men (AAMs) is 2 times greater than that in other ethnic groups. However, there is considerable controversy as to whether race/ethnicity is an independent predictor of survival outcome. We present conditions in which race/ethnicity is and is not an independent predictor of survival outcomes.
Williams H and Powell IJ. Epidemiology, pathology, and genetics of prostate cancer among African Americans compared with other ethnicities, Methods Mol Biol 472 (2009), pp. 439–453.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer affecting men in the Western world. No definitive causes of prostate cancer (PCa) have been identified to date but, increasing age, a positive family history, and sub-Saharan African ancestry are strongly linked to its development.
Contact the Center for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (ceoinfo@upmc.edu) for updated information and evidence-based resources.