Prostate cancer more deadly in black men because of gene
- Black men are 74 percent more likely to get prostate cancer than white men
- They are also twice as likely to die from the disease compared to white men
- Experts from George Washington University in DC found a gene may be to blame
- They found black men have a genetic variation that causes tumors to be more aggressive and harder to treat
Cheyenne Roundtree For Dailymail.com
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Experts have long known that African American men are more likely to die from prostate cancer, but a new study may have found the reason why.
Previous research has shown that black men are 74 percent more likely to get the disease than white men and are twice as likely to die from it.
Now a new study suggests African-American males have a certain genetic makeup that makes prostate tumors more aggressive and resistant to drug treatments.
Researchers believe this difference may contribute to the large mortality disparity between black and white men when it comes to the cancer.
Experts from George Washington University in DC found that a gene in African-American men may be to blame for why they are more likely to die of prostate cancer compared to white men
WHAT IS PROSTATE CANCER?
Prostate cancer usually develops slowly and often produces no signs for many years.
The prostate is a small gland in the pelvis that is only in men. It helps to produce semen.
Symptoms tend to appear when the gland becomes so large that it affects the tube that carries urine to the penis.
This may cause an increased need to urinate, straining while urinating or feeling the bladder is not empty.
The risk increases with age and those with family members who have suffered.
The study was done by researchers at the George Washington University (GW) Cancer Center in Washington DC.
Experts found that genetic variation, called differential RNA splicing, could play a role in tumor aggressiveness and treatability of African-American men.
The study reported that the splicing led molecules to contain different combinations of cell proteins, which eventually made tumors more aggressive.
When exposed to prostate cancer treatments, due to the genetic variation of these proteins, the drug was ineffective and was also resisted by the body.
Principal researcher Dr Norman Lee said: ‘We found that the protein isoforms expressed in African Americans with prostate cancer do not always respond to targeted therapies.
‘Whereas these drugs were found to be effective in European Americans with prostate cancer and do end up killing off the cancer. This is a mechanism for drug resistance.’
Dr Lee and his team hope this discovery can lead to a better treatment plan for black men with prostate cancer and eliminate the disparity in death rates.
Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer type, with 161,000 cases diagnosed yearly in the United States.
Although prostate cancer is one of the most treatable cancers with high survival, research has shown that black men are twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men.
And blacks have a 74 percent higher risk than whites in developing the disease.
Research from the University of North Carolina Lineberger in June investigated why this difference exists and found the two groups of men view treatment plans differently.
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THE PROS AND CONS OF THE PSA TEST
There is no single test for prostate cancer.
Commonly used tests are the Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), a physical examination of your prostate or a biopsy.
It measures a man’s antigen levels and can detect early prostate cancer – but it is not foolproof.
PSA levels can be elevated when cancer isn’t present or not elevated when cancer does exist.
Higher PSA levels can also be caused by other conditions, like inflammation of the prostate or enlarged prostate.
A diagnosis of prostate cancer can provoke anxiety and confusion.
Prostate cancer treatment can have side effects, including urinary incontinence, erectile dysfunction or bowel complications.
Source: Prostate Cancer UK
Blacks were more likely to think their cancer was not aggressive and were more likely to worry about the treatment’s cost and side effects than their white counterparts.
Researchers suggest black men are less likely to receive aggressive treatment because they are more worried about the cost and how the medicine will impact their daily life.
The five-year survival rate for men with prostate cancer is 99 percent and the 15-year survival rate is 96 percent.
But these statistics only apply to men who receive treatment.
Non-white men are less likely to have surgery to treat their prostate cancer, according to a 2010 study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
The American Cancer Society recommends that men at an average risk should have a PSA screening when they turn 50 but recommend black men get this test done at 45 years old.
The organization drops the age down to 40 if the man has a family history of prostate cancer.
Although being at a significantly higher risk for the disease, only 33 percent of black men over the age of 50 reported having a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening.
In April, US Preventive Services Task Force changed its policy on routine prostate cancer screening.
New draft guidelines say the agency does not have any specific advice on the topic.
Instead, men should decide for themselves the best course of action after talking with their doctor.
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