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Prostate Cancer Screening Debate Ignores Black Men
By Thomas A. Farrington
A recent study released by the Veterans Affairs (VA) Connecticut Healthcare System and Yale School of Medicine received national media exposure when it concluded that prostate cancer screening isn't as reliable a measure as it should be. One of the study's co-authors encouraged doctors to tell patients to decide for themselves whether to even get screened for the disease. This is another in a series of seemingly endless contradictory studies on this subject. This particular study, however, was based on results from a very small pool of 1,000 men and falls silent on the disease's impact on Blacks and other men at high risk. If Black men put off screening as a result of this highly publicized study, they are increasing their chances of being diagnosed with later stage and incurable prostate cancer. My initial reaction upon reading this study was to question whether there were different outcomes for Black men. The failure of these studies to address the specific conditions and urgent needs of Blacks and others at high risk should be considered incomplete and bordering on irresponsibility. For prostate cancer detection in this country, all men are caught between using inexact screening techniques and a medical care system that does not always know how to use this information effectively. The results for Black men are the extremely high death rates that we endure compared to all other men. Our 140 percent higher death rate (American Cancer Society data) is the largest racial disparity for any type of major cancer afflicting men or women. Action, not confusion, is required to address this disparity. Last September, Senator John Kerry (D-MA) (a prostate cancer survivor) and Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) joined with my organization, The Prostate Health Education Network (PHEN), to convene an unprecedented event on Capitol Hill: the first-ever African American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit. Leading cancer experts, survivors, advocates, clergy members, and political leaders gathered together and concluded that early detection is the key to eliminating the prostate cancer disparity. Further, the fact remains that the American Cancer Society recommends that screening be "offered" annually, beginning at age 50, to men who have at least a 10-year life expectancy - with African-American men to begin testing at age 45. Prostate cancer screenings through the PSA test and the digital rectal exam are the only means used today for early detection. Medical experts agree that prostate cancer can be cured with early detection and proper treatment. Because men do not have the same access to advanced imaging technology that women use to help detect breast cancer, we must become better educated about screening and how to interpret screening results. The debate about whether prostate cancer screenings saves lives misses the mark if it does not address the unique early detection needs of Black men. As we have seen all too often in the Black community, silence and passivity about this disease kills. Prostate cancer continues to be the leading cause of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in our country. In my work advocating for increased education and awareness, I've spoken with hundreds of men diagnosed with the disease who are forced to navigate a medical care system with a myriad of contradictions and treatment options. This is an area where increased knowledge, resources and support are desperately needed for continued progress towards increasing survival. And this pursuit of progress must be responsible and responsive to the needs of all men -especially Black men, who are most vulnerable. Studies such as that conducted by the VA and Yale seem to ignore the grave prostate cancer predicament of Black men in this country, which is the world's worst. It is only through increased education, research, awareness and new treatments - not a continuous flow of conflicting reports on the screening tests now available - that we will be able to reduce deaths from this disease. It's true that we don't have a perfect system of screening techniques to detect prostate cancer. But we can't allow the desire for perfection to be the enemy of good for those that are most vulnerable. Thomas A. Farrington, is a prostate cancer survivor and author of the books, "Battling the Killer Within" and "Battling the Killer Within and Winning." The Prostate Health Education Network, Inc, (PHEN) is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization. PHEN's mission is to increase prostate health education and awareness among African American men. For more information about PHEN's education and awareness activities, visit http://www.prostatehealthed.org/ Join us for the:
Second Annual African-American Prostate Cancer Disparity Summit |
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Boston,
MA (BlackNews.com) - As a prostate cancer survivor, I have
personally experienced the pains and confusion surrounding prostate
cancer screening. Before I was diagnosed with the disease, I was not
aware or informed by my doctors of my exceedingly high-risk (my own
father and both grandfathers died from this disease), or of any
specific screening guidelines associated with this risk. Because of
my cancer stage when diagnosed, I was forced to seek out a
specialized treatment not available to most men.
