Did you know…it is important to be educated about prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men in the U.S. and is the second most deadly cancer for men (after lung cancer). It forms in the prostate gland and it usually affects older men, but can occur in men of any age. 

Some eye-opening statistics:

• In the U.S., black men have about a 60 percent higher rate of prostate cancer than white men, and die at a rate 240% higher than white men.
• There were approximately 186,320 new cases and 28,660 deaths from prostate cancer in the United States in 2024. 
• One man in six will get prostate cancer during his lifetime, and one man in 35 will die of this disease.

What can I do?

Talk with your doctor about your prostate health and know the symptoms of prostate cancer.

While screening may sound like a good idea, it is important to know that screening for prostate cancer is not always recommended. The tests that can detect prostate cancer are a Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) or a measurement of the amount of PSA (prostate-specific antigen) in your blood. While these tests can find a cancer early, they also can give false-positive results and lead to unnecessary, side-effect-causing follow up testing and treatment.  Due to this, these early detection tests may end up doing more harm than good. So, while it may seem like a good idea to go and get tested, you should ALWAYS talk to your doctor first. In fact, most healthy men do not need to be getting the PSA or DRE tests until their doctor recommends it.

It is always a good idea to reduce your overall risk of cancer in general by maintaining a healthy diet, exercising, and trying to manage any other conditions you may have.

What else should I know?

Prostate cancer often shows no signs. However, some men might experience the following symptoms:

• Blood in the urine/pee
• The need to pee frequently, especially at night
• Weak or interrupted urine flow
• Pain or burning feeling while peeing
• The inability to urinate/pee
• Constant pain in the lower back, pelvis, or upper thighs.

Luckily, prostate cancer usually progresses much slower than many other types of cancer. Many men live with it for years and many more survive disease-free after treatment.   For this reason, prostate cancer can be effectively treated with surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and/or radiation once it is detected.

Be active, let everyone in Harlem know that it is important to live a healthy lifestyle, and talk to your doctor about your risk. Remember that testing might not always be the best option for you, and you should discuss your risk with your doctor.

More information from the CDC