Life begins at 40, they say, but experts say this age is when black men should be careful about prostate cancer. According to the screening guidelines highlighted by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, black men are often diagnosed with this cancer earlier than other men, with a time gap of about three to nine years. Meanwhile, studies show that black men are more likely to die from this cancer compared to their white counterparts.

Understanding Why Prostate Cancer Screening Is Important

As mentioned before, the age bracket for black men to become more aware of their prostate cancer diagnosis is between 40 and 45. However, there have been questions as to why this is. A representative from the Foundation, Dr. William Oh, the chief medical officer, shared:

“We don’t know what causes prostate cancer.”

However, Dr. William maintained that it is a disease caused by aging. He recognized that:

“some environmental factors” might be to blame, before adding, “We know that it tends to run in families. But we don’t currently know why Black men are at higher risk for being diagnosed with prostate cancer than other men.”

Following the research, the Foundation has created guidelines to help. One of their many ways has been to advocate for testing of Prostate Serum Antigen. While it has led to early detection and treatment, some say its results can be false.

This is a truth even Dr. William attests to. In his words:

“The PSA test is clearly the single best way to identify prostate cancer early, but it does have flaws.”
Still, the Dr. believes that “there is a balancing act of identifying too many clinically insignificant cancers versus finding the ones that might be dangerous and even fatal if you find them too late.”

According to Forbes, the Prostate Cancer Foundation will be helping countless black men through its guidelines despite the PSA testing that seems to be a case against them.