Life
Black Men should get Facts on Prostate Cancer Screening
A new report released by the Health and Human Services Department’s, Preventative Services Task Force recommends against so-called PSA tests for men who don’t have symptoms that are “highly suspicious for prostate cancer.”
If you are an African American man or male of African descent, where are some facts you should now before you decide not to get screened for prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the single most diagnosed non-skin cancer among African Americans: 30,870 will be diagnosed this year alone.
While the mortality rate is dropping, prostate cancer is still the second-leading cause of cancer death in African American men. For African American men, prostate cancer deaths are projected to drop 15.4 percent over two years, with an estimated 5,050 deaths in 2005 and an estimated 4,240 deaths in 2007.
Nearly 100% of African American men diagnosed with early stage prostate cancer are still alive five years from diagnosis. Of African American men diagnosed in the late stages of the disease, 29% survive five years (not including those who died from causes other than prostate cancer.)
