You may have heard that September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. You may even know a man who has been diagnosed with this type of cancer. All men are at risk.1 According to the American Cancer Society, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men.1 It is estimated that in 2024, more than 299,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in men and approximately 35,000 men will die from this cancer type.2
If you’re a Black man living in the United States, your chances of developing prostate cancer are greater than if you’re a white person in the US. About 1 in 6 Black men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.3 Based on statistics from 2017-2021, Black men were 70% more likely to develop prostate cancer, and twice as likely to die from it than white men.4,5
Early prostate cancer may not have any symptoms, so screening is important.5 In this article, we will cover 6 things you should know about prostate cancer.
1. What is Prostate Cancer?6,7
Cancer develops when cells grow out of control. Prostate cancer is cancer that develops in the prostate gland, a reproductive gland in men that sits below the bladder and in front of the rectum. It surrounds the tubes that carry semen and urine out of the penis. It also produces some of the fluid that is found in semen.
Check out this video of the prostate to see its location in your body.
2. How Prostate Cancer Affects Black and Brown Men of Color?
As of 2022, prostate cancer was the most common type of cancer found in Black men, making up 37% of new cancer cases. It was also the second most common cause of cancer death in Black men, only surpassed by lung cancer.5
Prostate cancer impacts more Black men than any other ethnic group between the ages of 25 and 64.5 Black men are also more likely to develop cancer at a younger age (under age 50) and have a high-risk form of prostate cancer.8
Prostate cancer is also the most common form of cancer found in Latino men.5
Black and Latino communities share mistrust, fear, and a negative opinion of healthcare providers which leads to fewer of them getting screened for prostate cancer than those of white communities.5
Members of Black and Latino communities are more likely to receive health advice from family members, friends, churches, and community leaders rather than from healthcare professionals of different racial or ethnic groups. These behaviors encourage health misinformation, fear, distrust, and incorrect perceptions regarding prostate cancer.5
3. Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer8,9
In the early stages, prostate cancer may not have any symptoms. Since you may have prostate cancer without feeling differently, screening is very important. If you were assigned male at birth, you should talk to your doctor about when a prostate cancer screening is appropriate for you.
If you do have symptoms at an early stage, they may include:
- Slow or weak urinary stream
- Needing to urinate more often, especially at night
- Blood in the urine or semen
- Pain or burning when you urinate
If you have more advanced prostate cancer, you may have additional symptoms. Other symptoms include:
- Erectile dysfunction, or trouble getting an erection
- Pain in the hips, back, chest, or other areas
- Weakness or numbness in the hands and feet
- Loss of bladder control
- Tiredness
- Weight loss
- Loss of bowel control
If you have some or all of these symptoms it doesn’t automatically mean that you have prostate cancer. Some of these symptoms may be caused by other conditions, including an enlarged prostate.
If you are experiencing any symptoms, you should talk to your doctor to confirm whether or not you are at risk for prostate cancer.
4. Causes of Prostate Cancer8,9
If you have prostate cancer, it means that the cells in your prostate multiply at a faster rate than normal. Prostate cancer cells start in the prostate, but over time they may spread to other parts of the body (metastasis).
Researchers are not exactly sure what causes prostate cancer cells. Some experts think that this type of cancer may be caused by changes in your genes. You may be born with these gene changes (inherited) or they may be acquired as a result of radiation or exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
Prostate cancer is a very slow-growing cancer. In most cases, prostate cancer is diagnosed before the cancer spreads to other parts of your body.
Risk Factors1,4,8
Having one of these risk factors does not guarantee that you will end up having prostate cancer. It simply means that your chances of developing prostate cancer are increased as a result of these factors.
Risk factors that may increase your chances of developing prostate cancer include:
- Being a man over the age of 50. There is an even greater risk if you are over age 65.
- African American, Carribean, or African ancestry also increases the likelihood that you will develop prostate cancer before age 50, and develop a more advanced form of prostate cancer.7
- Having a family history of prostate cancer makes you 2 to 3 times more at risk of developing it.
- Genetics can also play a role. Lynch syndrome or the BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutated genes that lead to breast cancer, also increase your risk for prostate cancer.
As mentioned above, certain genetic factors might increase your risk for prostate cancer. Inherited genes may play a major role in up to 10% of prostate cancers.10 Knowing your family history of prostate cancer, as well as breast and ovarian cancer is important.
There are other potential risk factors that researchers are not positive lead to prostate cancer, but they may increase your risk. These potential risk factors include:
- Smoking
- Prostatitis
- Obesity (BMI over 30 kg/m2)
- Sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Exposure to Agent Orange, a chemical used during the Vietnam War
5. Screening and Prevention8
Screenings are important for the detection of prostate cancer. They do not guarantee that you have prostate cancer. They simply alert your doctor that additional testing should be completed. Though screening can help detect cancer at an early stage, there is some controversy around unclear test results and overdiagnosis.7,11
There are two types of screenings that your doctor can perform:
- Digital rectal exam: During this exam, your doctor will insert a lubricated, gloved finger into your rectum to feel your prostate. If there are bumps or hard places, you may need additional testing.
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test: Your prostate makes a protein called prostate-specific antigen. If you have higher than normal levels of this protein, it may indicate that you have prostate cancer, or an enlarged prostate for other reasons.
Prostate Cancer Foundation screening guidelines for Black men were published in 2024. The prostate cancer screening guidelines were changed to recommend that Black men get screened for the first time between the ages of 40 and 45, instead of age 50, which is the recommended age for other ethnic groups.
Based on your screening, your doctor may decide to do further testing to confirm whether or not you have prostate cancer or they may decide not to do anything. Since prostate cancer grows slowly, all cases don’t require treatment–especially if your cancer is not likely to spread beyond your prostate.
References
- American Cancer Society. (2023). Prostate Cancer Risk Factors. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/risk-factors.html. Accessed September 9, 2024
- American Cancer Society. (2024). Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html. Accessed September 9, 2024
- CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. (2022). Cancer statistics for African American/Black People 2022. https://acsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.3322/caac.21718. Accessed September 13, 2024
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. (2024). Why Black Men Should Consider Earlier Screening for Prostate Cancer. https://www.mskcc.org/news/things-black-men-should-know-about-prostate. Accessed September 10, 2024
- Vapiwala Neha et al. (2021). Stigma beliefs and Perceptions regarding prostate cancer among Black and Latino men and women. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33879107/. Accessed September 9, 2024
- American Cancer Society (2023) What is Prostate Cancer? www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/about/what-is-prostate-cancer.html Accessed September 11, 2024
- Up To Date. (2024). Patient education: Prostate cancer screening (Beyond the Basics). https://www.uptodate.com/contents/prostate-cancer-screening-beyond-the-basics Accessed September 11, 2024
- Cleveland Clinic. (2024). Prostate Cancer. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/8634-prostate-cancer. Accessed September 10, 2024
- American Cancer Society. (2023). Signs and Symptoms of Prostate Cancer. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html. Accessed September 9, 2024
- American Cancer Society. (2023). What Causes Prostate Cancer? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/causes-risks-prevention/what-causes.html. Accessed September 13, 2024
- American Cancer Society. (2023). Can Prostate Cancer Be Found Early? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/prostate-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html. Accessed September 11, 2024
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