A new survey by Prostate Cancer Research, shows that 69% of Black adults are unaware that Black men face a twofold increased risk of developing prostate cancer in their lifetime, and also that almost a quarter of Black men attempting to get tested in the past year reported being blocked by a GP. This is partly due to a lack of awareness of the increased risk, but according to the poll of 2,000 Black adults, nearly 25% believe discrimination has prevented them from being tested for prostate cancer, while 1 in 3 believe discrimination has stopped them from being tested or treated for medical problems in general. Less than half think they would receive the same level of care from the NHS as their white counterparts.
Prostate cancer survivor Brian Quavar said: “Getting us, as Black people, to participate in research presents a challenge, because there’s an issue of trust in the health system.”
Prostate Cancer Research state: 1 in 4 Black men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime. Black men are more likely to get prostate cancer than other men, who have a 1 in 8 chance of getting prostate cancer. We don’t know why, but it might be linked to genes. We’re funding research to find out why Black men are at higher risk of prostate cancer than other men.
