title: Update on prostate cancer in black men within the UK.
abstract: There is a wealth of evidence which can be traced back to the African transatlantic slave trade indicating that black men have a higher risk of prostate cancer compared to other ethnic groups. Migration to Westernised countries may have had little effect on the incidence of prostate cancer in this ethnic group; however, current evidence indicates that there are several complex factors that may contribute to this risk. Studies in the UK quote that black men are at 2-3 times the risk of prostate cancer in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts, with a 30% higher mortality rate. Caution should be taken prior to the interpretation of these results due to a paucity of research in this area, limited accurate ethnicity data, and lack of age-specific standardisation for comparison. Cultural attitudes towards prostate cancer and health care in general may have a significant impact on these figures, combined with other clinico-pathological associations. This update summarises new contributory research on this subject, highlighting the need to increase awareness and understanding of prostate cancer amongst high-risk communities and to support further robust research in this area by nominating a lead in cancer and ethnicity studies within the National Health Service.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Barts NHS Health Trust, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BB, UK.
authors.forename: Abeyna Lc
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Barts NHS Health Trust, The Royal London Hospital, Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BB, UK.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chinegwundoh
keywords: African Americans; African Caribbeans; Caucasian race; culture; ethnicity; literature review; prostate; prostate cancer; prostate-specific antigen; risk