New Report Highlights Alarming Increase in Prostate Cancer and Advanced Stage Diagnosis

January 19, 2023

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Findings heighten concern for Black men, who are at the highest risk for diagnoses and deaths.

Prostate cancer remains the most diagnosed cancer in men (aside from skin cancers) and second leading cause of cancer death in men. The 5-year survival rate for men has decreased from 98% in 2022 to 97%.

Increase in Prostate Cancer and Advanced Stage Diagnosis Faith Health and Home Lifestyle Media

According to a new report on the state of men’s health, prostate cancer continues to be one of the most common cancers among men nationwide, showing a 3% increase in incidence per year and a 5% increase in advanced-stage diagnoses per year since 2014. The report also shows that Black men continue to face disproportionate diagnoses and mortality rates, with the incidence of prostate cancer being more than 70% higher in Black men compared to white men.

“Prostate cancer awareness is a significant issue for me because if I had known that military service or family history had increased my chances of developing prostate cancer, I might have been diagnosed earlier,” said Darrell Wilson, an advanced prostate cancer patient.

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Additionally, the report showed that prostate cancer disparities between Black and white men are at their highest in over a decade. According to new data from 2022, prostate cancer is reported to consist of 37% of cancers diagnosed among Black men, with 41,600 new cases expected this year.

“Black men are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with and more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men. The sorting of money, knowledge, power, and beneficial social connections by race contribute to sustaining these differences over time,” said Dr. Reggie Tucker-Seeley, ZERO’s Vice President of Health Equity. “We cannot end prostate cancer without addressing the root causes of race and place-based disparities in prostate cancer.”

source: zerocancer.org

2022 advocacy efforts in Illinois led to legislation to make prostate cancer screening available without co-pays or other cost-sharing, which will go into effect in 2024. Illinois will follow in the footsteps of New York, which in January of 2019 became the first state in the country to pass a law that supports full insurance coverage of the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) blood test, as well as Maryland and Rhode Island, all of which have eliminated co-pays or cost-sharing fees for prostate cancer screening.

Increase in Prostate Cancer and Advanced Stage Diagnosis Faith Health and Home Lifestyle Media

There’s a long road ahead in the fight against prostate cancer. Advancements in research, education, health screening, support, and solutions are the key to achieve health equity to meet the most critical needs of the prostate cancer community – from early detection to survivorship.