On Monday, Jan. 22, the world learned Dexter Scott King, the youngest son of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, died after what the King Center called a “valiant battle” against prostate cancer.
While the King Center did not discuss much about King’s battle with prostate cancer, the third child and youngest son of the celebrated civil rights leader is among the many Black men who have sadly succumbed to the disease.
According to Zero Cancer, every 13 minutes a Black man is diagnosed with prostate cancer and nearly 17 Black men die of prostate cancer daily.
Black men are more likely to develop prostate cancer, with one in six Black men receiving a prostate cancer diagnosis in comparison to one in eight men overall. In addition, Black men are 1.7 times more likely to be diagnosed with and 2.1 times more likely to die from prostate cancer than their white counterparts.
Further, Black men are also slightly more likely to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.
Moreover, a recent study “Urology,” by Dr. Kelvin A. Moses of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and his colleagues, concluded that Black men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer are less likely than white males to receive any type of treatment for the disease.
“Persistent disparities in treatment for [African Americans] and emerging disparities in Hispanic men, regardless of stage at presentation, likely represent a significant predictor of higher mortality in underserved populations,” Moses and his colleagues reported.
Despite these disparities and grim statistics, many health practitioners contend prostate cancer is highly treatable when detected and treated early.
Doctors encourage men to begin regular screening for prostate cancer between the ages of 40 and 70.
Talking to doctors about beginning the process of taking prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, used to determine the presence of PSA circulating in the bloodstream is important. While PSA levels can fluctuate, determining a baseline PSA can allow men and their health teams to determine the regularity of screenings for prostate cancer.
Chatting with one’s health professional about PSA tests can be the first step in managing prostate health. In addition, speaking with male family members and friends about regular screenings is also an important key in ensuring the men in our lives are prioritizing their health.
Help them understand the importance of early detection and emphasize how much you care about their well-being.
As multiple ills face Black men, from systemic racism, to violence, and other health disparities associated with African American males, let’s work to combat prostate cancer by spreading the importance of screenings, early detection, and advocating for treatment once diagnosed.