Prostate cancer
screening may be more useful for African-American men than
white men. Black men are more likely to suffer and die from
prostate cancer than white men, however a recent study showed
that the disease could be cured at the same rate as that of
whites if it is caught and treated early on.
In the United States,
prostate cancer occurs in African-American men at a rate of
234.2 per 100,000 people, as compared with 144.6 per 100,000
for white men. Black men die from the disease at a rate of
53.1 per 100,000, whites at a rate of 22.4.
The study compared
prostate cancer patients, 12 black and 161 white, who had
radioactive seeds implanted in the gland for treatment, a
procedure known as brachytherapy. The difference in rates
of recurrence of the cancer between races was insignificant,
according to researchers -- none of the black men had a recurrence
and 5.6 percent of the white men did.
As prostate cancer
can be slow growing, some question the usefulness of screening
for the disease. However, researchers say that in African
Americans, the cancer is generally not slow growing. Therefore,
they say that early diagnosis and treatment would be of benefit
for these men.
Radiological
Society of North America December 2, 2002