Black Men’s Health: Black men in California are five times more likely to die from prostate cancer. Earlier access to care and regular screening can prevent it.
This article is part of a two-part series by Anissa Durham that explores the lives of Black men battling prostate cancer. Read part one here. This story is copublished with CalMatters.
James Miller Jr.’s dream of being a homeowner had finally come true — which meant a trip to Home Depot for supplies. As he walked the aisles of the home improvement store, his phone rang. It was his doctor with news no one wants to hear: Miller had stage four metastatic prostate cancer.
His first question: “How much time do I have?”
Maybe seven years, the doctor said. He was 57.
Miller’s story isn’t unique — it’s an epidemic hiding in plain sight. Black men face the highest rate of prostate cancer diagnosis of any racial or ethnic group in America. They’re diagnosed at later stages, often when treatment options narrow. They’re twice as likely to die from the disease compared to white men. These deaths are largely preventable. Yet in California, where Miller lives, no legislation specifically addresses prostate cancer screening or prevention.
Advocates say that’s unacceptable — and it’s costing Black men their lives.
What Every Black Man Needs to Know
The prostate is a walnut-sized gland that sits below the bladder, responsible for creating ejaculation fluid, explains Dr. Brent Rose, associate professor of radiation oncology at UC San Diego. One of the biggest problems with prostate cancer is most men don’t have symptoms until it’s advanced.
The most effective screening tool is a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test — a simple blood draw, far more accurate than a digital rectal exam. Rose says many men avoid screening because they dread the rectal exam, but that test is no longer the standard recommendation.
The statistics are sobering: One in eight Black men will develop prostate cancer, compared to one in 12 white men. Black men are also diagnosed younger. That’s why the American Cancer Society recommends African American men start screening at 45 — five years earlier than everyone else.
#BlackMensHealth #ProstateCancerAwareness #HealthEquity
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