Prostate Cancer Month

African Caribbean CommunitiesAfrican Caribbean men are three times more likely to get prostate cancer than white men of the same age. So its important that we work specifically with these communities.

You can help us make a difference through:

Research – Improving our understanding of the impact of prostate cancer in the African Caribbean community
Making more people aware – Delivering talks and information via community champions
Educating health professionals and sharing good practice – Promoting delivery of appropriate information, care and services .

Why are African Caribbean men at higher risk?–The higher incidence of prostate cancer in African Caribbean men in the UK and US is also seen in men of African descent in the Caribbean and possibly West Africa.

Research is being done to find out why these groups have a higher risk of prostate cancer but so far, no reasons have been found.

The similar rates in black Caribbean and black African men suggests that there may be a genetic link. It may also be related to diets rich in fat or other lifestyle factors, although there is no specific evidence that diet is responsible for the raised risk

Other factors also affect the risk of developing prostate cancer, with increasing age being the most important risk factor.

The Charity and our Awareness Volunteers raise awareness in the community by delivering talks, hosting information stands or giving out information leaflets.

We recently trained African Caribbean Community Champions in London through our Older & Wiser project to raise awareness in this community. The project was London-based but has provided the Charity with useful learning for developing this work in other regions.

“I promised God that if I survived, I would do my best to put something back into the community and try to educate other men. Black men in particular are ignorant about the disease. They don’t want to talk about things like that.”

For more information about our Awareness Volunteers and how we can help you raise awareness in your community please visit the get involved pages.

We also have a specialist nurse, Suresh Rambaran, who targets regions with a high African Caribbean population to raise awareness among the community and among health professionals. He is currently focusing on the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside.

“Getting into the heart of the community is key; you have to go to where they are.”

As well as raising awareness of prostate cancer in the community, we also do work to ensure that healthcare professionals are aware of the raised risk in African Caribbean men and that they provide appropriate information and care for this community.

This year, we delivered our first African Caribbean Shared Learning Event. The half day event was a chance for health professionals to better their understanding of the issues surrounding prostate cancer in the African Caribbean community. Speakers shared learning from research into risks and perceptions of prostate cancer in the African Caribbean community and examples of good practice. This was followed by an evening networking reception where David Lammy MP spoke and pledged his support for the Charity’s work.

Every year, we also deliver a prostate cancer master class designed for specialist practitioners to ensure delivery of quality and up-to-date care for men affected by prostate cancer. We were keen to raise awareness of the issues affecting the African Caribbean community at this year’s event. One of our African Caribbean Community Champions shared his own experience of prostate cancer.

One of our specialist nurses, Suresh Rambaran, targets regions with a high African Caribbean population to raise awareness of prostate cancer among local healthcare professionals and cancer networks. He is currently targeting the West Midlands, Greater Manchester and Merseyside, bringing vital information about prostate cancer in the African Caribbean community to those who deliver local services.
The Older & Wiser Project was a three-year project funded by the City Bridge Trust. The aim was to recruit, train and support African Caribbean volunteers affected by prostate cancer to become Community Champions. These Community Champions help us raise awareness of prostate cancer within their own community.

Focusing on the London Boroughs of Lambeth, Newham and Hackney, we trained 26 Community Champions. They are raising awareness by distributing information leaflets, holding information stands at events and giving prostate cancer awareness presentations to local community groups.

The Community Champions have found creative ways to engage with the African Caribbean community and to encourage men and women to speak more openly about prostate cancer.

We carried out an evaluation of the project to help us learn from the work of the Community Champions and to improve our work with African Caribbean volunteers in the future. We also learnt a great deal about how best to communicate with our African Caribbean audience and the value of working in partnership with people within the community.

John, 69, trained as a Community Champion in Newham, after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. He is currently receiving active surveillance. He wants to help raise awareness and says:

“A lot of people are not aware of this problem. I did not have any symptoms. I just felt that because of my age I should get checked out. But there are signs that men can look out for and it is better to be aware because the longer you leave it, the worse it can get.”

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