Help Us Fight Prostate Cancer

Black African & Caribbean Men and Prostate Cancer

  • 1 in 4 African Caribbean men will get prostate cancer compared to 1 in 8 white men.
  • Reason is unknown but may be linked to inherited genes
  •  Early diagnosis is vital. 80% of cancers detected early are completely cured. Late diagnosis is serious
  •  Know your risk  –  if you are black and over 45, talk to your GP
  •  You may be at greater risk if your father or brother has had it
  •  Knowledge is power – Over 80% of early detected cancer is completely cured

Every man has a legal right to a PSA test at age 50. It must be right that black African/Caribbean men should have this right 5 years earlier, given their increased risk of contracting the disease and the earier age at which they present.

Les Spaine, patron of the Prostate Project and CEO of Spaine Music

Men, Get Tested!

We are proud to share our latest awareness video aimed at the black community.

Our patron, Les Spaine, explains the risks to black men (aged 45 or over, or your father or brother has had it) and why it is so important to get a PSA blood Test, used to help detect prostate cancer.

Les Spaine is a patron of the Prostate Project, formerly of Motown Records where he worked closely with Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and The Commodores. Les is now CEO of Spaine Music, one of the leading live music agencies in Europe. Everyone at the Prostate Project would like to thank Les for all his amazing support.

Why are outcomes so poor for black men?

1 in 4 black men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime compared to other men, who have a 1 in 8 chance. The reason for this is not known and we are funding research to try to find the answer.

Our PhD student, James Thetford (pictured below) is based in our labs at the University of Surrey.

James is investigating the interplay between ethnicity, the microbiome and DNA damage in prostate cancer with an aim to understand how the microbiome of different ethnicities influences tumour biology and prostate cancer progression.

He hopes this microbiome research will help to unlock some answers as to why black men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer as microbiomes have a dramatic impact on the immune response.