- Conference
- 2016 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 23 September 2015
- Decision
- Carried
The statistic 1 in 4 people is often associated with Mental Health, in Black Communities the statistic also relates to the prevalence of Prostate Cancer in Black Men. The charity Prostate Cancer UK has carried out research which shows that 1 in 4 Black Men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lifetime. That is double the risk of all men who have a 1 in 8 chance of suffering from prostate cancer at some point in their lives.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, with 41,736 cases diagnosed in 2011, and it is predicted to become the overall most commonly diagnosed cancer by 2030.
In the summer of 2015 an article published in the BMC Medical online journal looked at the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in major ethnic groups. The study found that Black Men in England have twice the lifetime risk of both being diagnosed with – and dying from – prostate cancer compared with white men. The study sponsored by Public Health England and Prostate Cancer UK estimates the lifetime risk for Black men of dying of prostate cancer at approximately one in 12. The risk for white men is estimated to be about one in 24 and one in 44 for Asian men. The study goes on to discuss that a third of all men diagnosed with Prostate cancer will die regardless of ethnicity, meaning proportionally Prostate Cancer will kill more Black Men.
Despite the odds of Prostate Cancer being stacked against Black Men, a study carried out by The University of Exeter in spring 2015 showed that Black Men are less willing to be tested for Prostate Cancer. In this study a group of 500 men, each was presented with a realistic hypothetical scenario which included a description of the symptoms of Prostate Cancer and the estimated risk. The researchers found that Black men had the least preference of further investigation regardless of the risk presented. In the lower risk scenarios 91% of white males opted for investigation but only 44% of Black men. The common reason for declining investigation in this group was the low risk for both ethnicities however considerably more Black men did not want to know they had cancer.
It is not enough for the men in our lives to stick their heads in the sand, to not know is to assign yourself to an early grave– a Black Man is someone’s son, brother, father, partner, what happens to them will affect us all. It is time to educate ourselves and to change the shocking statistics cited in this motion.
Conference asks the NBMC to:
1)To post a series of articles in Black Action and on social media that cover the prevalence of Prostate Cancer, its symptoms, treatment available during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in March 2016.
2)To work with the National Women’s Committee to produce a leaflet on Prostate Cancer that can be made available in the Women’s Health Pack if this is not already the case.
3)Invite Prostate Cancer UK to do a workshop on Prostate Cancer in Black Communities at the 2017 NBMC conference.