Hispanic Men And Prostate Cancer
The relationship between Hispanic men and prostate cancer began some years back when the disease was found to be the most common type of cancer among the race group. That the disease was later found to be the second leading reason for cancer death in the race further strengthened the association between Hispanic men and prostate cancer.
The latter was revealed in studies from 2001, which showed 7,000 Hispanics diagnosed with prostate cancer as well as 1,200 prostate cancer deaths.
The leading cause of cancer death is lung cancer among US men in general, as well as Hispanic men and prostate cancer is the most diagnosed of all types, aside from skin cancer. Prostate cancer is also more prevalent among African Americans than Caucasians, while occurring less in American Indians and Asians.
Hispanic Men and Prostate Cancer – What About Cure Rates?
In late 2004, associations between Hispanic men and prostate cancer came to the forefront of medical discussions. New York Presbyterian Hospital and Allen Pavilion reported the largest study of its kind in the Journal of Urology, which stated that:
1. Hispanics and Non-hispanic White Americans show practically the same success rates for prostate cancer therapy (i.e., 81% for Hispanics, 82% for Non-hispanics).
2. Hispanic Americans showed more advance cancer stages than Non-hispanic White Americans, which includes more abnormal rectal exams and severe tumors.
The period of the study was 1995?2002. The subjects were 136 Hispanic Americans (mostly of Dominican Republic origin) and 315 Non-hispanic White Americans.
The remarkably good news for Hispanics is that despite their showing more advance stages of cancer, their cure rates only differ by less than 1%.
Hispanic Men and Prostate Cancer – Why the Advance Symptoms?
Based on the 2004 study, the relationship between Hispanic men and prostate cancer, which causes them to show more advance cancer stages, is less about race and more about socio-economics.
According to the report, factors that compounded the association between Hispanic men and prostate cancer and led to point #2 above are:
* Access to healthcare
* Embarrassment
* Lack of awareness
* Attitudes towards health
* Different cultural perspective
* Distinct lifestyle practices
* Language barriers
One of the doctors behind the study said that better screening as well as early detection could significantly change this relationship between Hispanic men and prostate cancer.
New York Presbyterian Hospital doctors are continuing research into Hispanic men and prostate cancer associations, particularly the relationship between cancer and prostate size.
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