by ecancer reporter Audrey Nailor

How much cancer risk is unacceptable within a community?

One in four black men in the UK will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.

The global burden of prostate cancer is borne disproportionately by black men - who require greater representation in research, according to a new Special Issue published in ecancermedicalscience. 

Seven original research articles from the Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium address the global burden of prostate cancer in black men from multiple perspectives, including screening, intervention, and treatment.

"This work will inspire researchers to try and understand what lies behind the increased risk of black men," says Dr Frank Chinegwundoh of the Barts Health NHS Trust, a contributor to the Special Issue.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men globally, and the most common male cancer in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and North America.

All black men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer, while African-American and Jamaican men have the highest rate of prostate cancer in the world.

Multiple factors combine to increase this risk, including genetics and socioeconomic status.

However, men of African descent are less likely to be able to access necessary healthcare. 

Men of African descent are underrepresented in the sampling pools in both laboratory science and clinical research, partially due to the lack of research funding in developing countries. 

This collection of articles provides a worldwide perspective that is urgently needed.

"Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men of African ancestry globally," says Dr Folakemi Odedina of the University of Florida, Guest Editor of the Special Issue. 

"Global collaborations among prostate cancer scientists, clinicians and advocates are necessary to better understand and eliminate the prostate cancer disparity seen in Black men."