African American men who delay testing or treatment for prostate cancer run greater risks with their health than other males
African American men who delay testing or treatment for prostate cancer run greater risks with their health than other males because they are roughly 1.6 times more likely to develop the disease than white men, and also more than twice more likely to die from it than white men.
In light of those statistics, a recent study in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends that black men should be screened for prostate cancer more often and at a younger age. The study is significant because it challenges the conventional wisdom that early screening of typically slow-growing prostate cancer can lead to over-treatment.
The recommendations of the ACS study may get a needed boost from a relatively new ultrasound treatment procedure known as HIFU. It can give men piece of mind when they go to the doctor because HIFU (which stands for High Intensity Focused Ultrasound) is a minimally invasive procedure for ablating (removing) prostate tissue, which minimizes the dreaded side effects of impotence and incontinence.