Mr. Eamonn Rogers
Chair, EAU Patient Office
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in the UK, responsible for the death of one man every 45 minutes. Black men face an even higher risk.
The reasons for prostate cancer more widely impacting black men than any other race are complex, intertwined and varied.
Some reasons black men are more at risk
- Genetics: Black men have higher Gleason scores and higher prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels than white men, indicating they are at greater risk for more aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
- Racism: Lack of representation in clinical trials and studies combined with a history of ethical malpractice and mistreatment of people of colour have led to a lack of trust. Many black men fear that their PSA screenings may not be thorough enough or their test results may be misused.1
- Fear and cultural stigma: There can be hesitation among black men to undergo routine screenings, such as a digital rectal exam (DRE) or PSA testing. Concerns about the invasiveness of these procedures and the fear of potential diagnoses contribute to this reluctance.
There is a lack of data in
clinical trials for black patients.
Increasing awareness and trust in prostate cancer health
Although the above factors pose challenges, steps can be taken to dismantle the barriers around prostate cancer care for black men.
- Medical representation: Currently, there is a lack of data in clinical trials for black patients. A large proportion of treatment and diagnostics for prostate cancer has been based on data for white patients, which negatively impacts the healthcare of black patients.2 Increasing representation from people of all minority backgrounds in trials will lead to more inclusive and trusted healthcare.
- Early detection: Given the heightened risk and aggressiveness of prostate cancer in black men, early detection and diagnosis are crucial.
The European Association of Urology has been taking steps to combat this stigma. One of the steps involves the development of a patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) study focused on prostate cancer care for black men of African and Caribbean descent. The other will be the roundtable ‘Championing Black Health Equity in Prostate Cancer,’ which will take place on Patient Day at the Annual EAU Congress in Madrid, 21–24 March 2025.
Learn more at https://eaucongress.uroweb.org/
[1] American Cancer Society, (2022), Racial disparities in Black men with prostate cancer: A literature review, Journal of the American Cancer Society
[2] Prostate Cancer Research, supra
