Black Men are Twice as Likely to Die of Prostate Cancer as White Men

Black men are twice as likely to be diagnosed with and die from prostate cancer as white men, according to a new study.

The study, published online in BMC Medicine, looked at incidence and mortality data from Public Health England and found that in the U.K., a white man’s lifetime risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer was approximately 1 in 8, whereas for black men the risk was 1 in 4. Asian men fared the best, with a 1 in 13 risk for diagnosis.

Each group was equally likely to die from the disease once they were diagnosed, so proportionally more black men die from prostate cancer than white or Asian men.

The research does not determine why there are these differences in ethnic groups, but Alison Cooper of Prostate Cancer UK, the lead author of the study, told the Guardian, “The study also provides important absolute-risk figures to help black men better understand their risk of developing prostate cancer. These figures can be used for targeted awareness-raising and to help them make an informed decision about whether or not to have a prostate specific antigen test.”

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK.