Black men are twice more likely to get prostate cancer than other men in the UK.
Why is this the case?
It isn’t clear why Black men are more likely to get prostate cancer. They know it is linked to genes but more research is being done to fully understand why this is the case.
Prostate Cancer UK, in partnership with Movember, are currently funding some research on this. They are looking for men of African or Caribbean descent aged 40-69 and haven’t had prostate cancer. You can join the study here
Understanding prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a cancer that affects the prostate gland. The prostate’s main job is to help make semen – the fluid that carries sperm. The prostate gland sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the urethra.
Symptoms
According to the NHS, prostate cancer does not usually cause any symptoms until the cancer has grown large enough to put pressure on the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra).
Symptoms can include:
- needing to pee more frequently, often during the night
- needing to rush to the toilet
- difficulty in starting to pee
- straining or taking a long time while peeing
- weak flow
- feeling that your bladder has not emptied fully
- blood in urine or blood in semen
