A closer look at the racial disparity in prostate cancer and the fight for health equity in St. Louis.
Black Man lying in a hospital bed
The latest report from the U.S. Surgeon General describes the scientific evidence for the link between heavy alcohol use and increased risk for at least seven different of cancers, including breast (for women), colorectal, liver, and throat. While the evidence is mixed on the link between alcohol and prostate cancer, research has shown a strong correlation, which implies that a risk is very much a reality.
The new attention to cancer risk should motivate all of us to get better informed—to talk to a health care provider. However, this new attention can’t distract from a cruel reality.
Truth: St. Louis is losing many more Black men to prostate cancer than most cities in the U.S.
Why are we losing so many of our Black men in St. Louis to prostate cancer?
This is a question all of us in St. Louis should be asking ourselves beyond any sudden media attention about alcohol and cancer risk. The latest data indicate while overall rates for men being diagnosed with prostate cancer has declined in the US, the rates in Missouri remain high for Black males. The age-adjusted prostate cancer mortality rate for Black men was more than double that of white men, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Health disparities continue to plague the Black community. Anyone who has navigated the healthcare delivery system in the US knows that where we live influences where we can get care; and that where we work influences the type and quality of health insurance we have to pay for healthcare.
We’ve lost too many Black men to prostate cancer in St. Louis. These men are our grandfathers, fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins, and friends and we can’t remain silent any longer. We all need to become better informed about cancer risk by talking to a healthcare provider. Such a conversation can save your life.
Authors: Former State Senator Robin Wright-Jones, Dr. Darrell Hudson and Dr. Reggie Tucker-Seeley areRobert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Interdisciplinary Research Leaders working on “From a Whisper to a Conversation,” a project to reduce racial disparities in prostate cancer in St. Louis.
#HealthEquity #ProstateCancerAwareness #BlackMensHealth
