Black Men: Know Your Risk for Prostate Cancer

1 in 6 Black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

The Prostate Cancer Foundation is on a mission to help men survive the looming threat of prostate cancer. There are more than 3 million men in the United States living with prostate cancer, and, on average, 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed in their lifetime. For Black men, 1 in 6 will develop prostate cancer and are more than twice as likely to die from the disease. If detected early, the disease is highly treatable.

Here's what the Prostate Cancer Foundation suggests:

• Talk to your family about cancer risk. These should be open conversations, not deep family secrets. Because cancer can be passed down through families, that’s how you keep your kids safe. Start the conversation.

• Get screened. If you are Black or have a family history of prostate or other cancers, start talking to your doctor about PSA screening at age 40.

• Take charge. You can’t fix all of these problems overnight, but you can still take actions that have effects right now: Get their wellness guide, exercise, and eat a plant-centric diet.

• Be an advocate for yourself in discussions of prostate cancer screening or treatment. Get the PCF Prostate Cancer Patient Guide to empower yourself with knowledge. If you are a patient with aggressive prostate cancer, consider getting two types of advanced testing: biomarker testing of your tumor to potentially identify precision treatment, and genetic testing for inherited mutations.

• Consider enrolling in a clinical trial or research registry. Trials help doctors understand how new and existing treatments work in diverse populations, benefiting future patients. The “placebo” group generally gets at least the best standard of care, not “no treatment.” There are also many studies that simply observe you and collect data over time. Researchers take many precautions to keep your information secure. Talk to your doctor about participating in a study. Learn more about the Respond Study.

• Join a PCF Facebook support group to access a community of people with a similar diagnosis to share knowledge, encouragement, and emotional comfort. PCF has several private, moderated support groups on Facebook for different interests.

Steve Harvey, Charlamagne Tha God, Cedric the Entertainer and Chris Tucker used their voice to help get the word out about the Prostate Cancer Foundation's #KnowYourRisk campaign.

To learn more, head over to www.pcf.org/knowyourrisk/.