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Friday, December 11, 2009

Cancer Among Black Men


Cancer rates have increased slightly for Black men, who remain the group most likely to get and die from the disease, according to a study by the National Cancer Institute. The study found that Black men had a general cancer rate of 560 cases per 100,000 people and a cancer death rate of 319, the highest for any of the measured groups.
Prostate and lungs are the most common cancers and the most common causes of death among all of the male groups studied. Black male had the highest rate of prostate cancer at 180.6 per 100,000, while lung cancer was the most frequent cause of cancer death among Black men, at 105.6 per 100,000. Non-Hispanics males are second to Black men in getting cancer. Cancer struck this group at the rate of 481 cancer per 100,000 people. Hawaiian men were second to Black men in the death rate of the disease with a rate of 230 per 100,000.
Among women, White non-Hispanic had the highest rates of all cancers with 354 cases per 100,000. Alaskan women were second at 348 per 100,000. Alaskan native women also had the highest death rate at 179 per 100,000. Black and Hawaiian women were second, both with cancer mortality rates of 168 per 100,000.
Death from cancer can be prevented. Approximately 35% of cancers are caused by the things we eat, and the others are treatable if caught early during routine physical exams and routine screening. For example, since prostate cancer is a slow growing tumor, it may take many years before someone can find out or have symptoms of the disease. And it is easy and practical to know if there are any evidence of disease by doing a physical examination and a simple blood test called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA). Black males by virtue of their failure to seek preventative medical care, can succumb to this form of cancer and many other types of preventable diseases very easily.
As a result of the aggressive anti-smoking campaign, fewer people are smoking now than ten years ago, but the incidence of smoking in the Black community remains exceptionally high. This contributes to the prevalence of lung cancer among Blacks.
Here are some tips for early cancer detection and prevention:
a) Visit your doctor regularly for routine examinations and screening.
b) Learn the techniques involved in breast self-examination. Obtain mammogram when indicated.
c) Males, have your doctor obtain indicated examinations and tests for Prostate Cancer. Watch for difficult, painful or bloody urination.
d) Have abnormal bowel activity ( fresh blood on the stool, excessively dark stool, frequent constipation, painful defecation, and unusual diarrhea) investigated by your doctor.
e) Report chronic vague pains that seem to have no identifiable cause(s).
f) Investigate abnormal vaginal bleeding. Obtain regular PAP smears as indicated by your doctor.
g) Investigate abnormal light headedness, numbness or weakness in the extremities.
h) Investigate abnormal lymphadenapathy ( lumps or bumps on the neck, groin, arm-pit and other areas of the body).  We can take control of our health by seeking preventative medical care and being aware of physical changes in our body.
-- Rawle F. Philbert, DDS

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