Pesticides and prostate cancer on Guadeloupe and Martinique

A study just published by Belpomme et al. analyzes risk for prostate cancer on the  islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe in order to gain further insight into the etiology (underlying causes) of prostate cancer.

Food patterns, prostate cancer, and Jamaican men

Jackson et al. have studied  the association between dietary patterns and risk of prostate cancer in Jamaican men by conducting a case-control study of the diets of 204 histologically confirmed, newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients and 204 matched control patients attending urology clinics in Jamaica between 2004 and 2007. Diet was assessed by food frequency questionnaire.

Prostate cancer risk among men of African descent

Odedina et al. have reviewed available data on the incidence, prevalence, and mortality rates of  prostate cancer among African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and men in West African nations historically associated with the trans-Atlantic slave trade. They note the very high incidence of prostate cancer among all these groups, which appears to reflect an ancestral genetic predisposition for prostate cancer. They also note that the morbidity and mortality of prostate cancer among African Americans has been falling since 1991; however, the rate of that fall is less that among Caucasian Americans.

Bahamas artist dones work for prostate cancer prevention

Bahamas-based artist Thierry Lamare has donated two of his paintings in support of a fundraiser for prostate cancer and breast cancer prevention.

Physical activity and prostate cancer mortality in Puerto Rican males

The Puerto Rico Heart Health Program was a study of nearly 10,000 men in Puerto Rico aged between 35 and 79 years when the study started in 1965. The program was supervised by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (a part of the US National Institutes of Health). The men were followed until they died or until 1980, when  morbidity and mortality follow-up concluded. The study was formally ended in 2002.

Prostate cancer in Jamaica: a 6-year review

A recent study by Coarde and Skeete has suggested little change in the histopathology of prostate cancer diagnosed in Jamaica over the period 2002 to 2005, and that the results of this study are consistent with the lack of a national prostate cancer screening program in Jamaica.

Details of the results of this study are reported today on The “New” Prostate Cancer InfoLink.

Only 1 in 5 Jamaican Men Get Screened for Prostate Cancer

This according to an article in the online version of today’s Jamaica Observer, based on data from the 2007/8 Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey II released earlier this week.

Jamaican Government Urges Prostate Cancer Screening

An article published yesterday by the Jamaica Information Service urges regular screening for early detection of prostate cancer.

Screening behaviors of Afro-Caribbean men living in New York

Gonzalez et al. have reported that men of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity living in Brooklyn, New York, are just as likely as white men to undergo initial PSA screening but they are much less likely to maintain annual screening. The authors comment on the importance of comprehensive discussion and annual examinations and the role of [primary care] physicians in ensuring PSA screening continuity. It would be interesting to know whether similar behavior patterns were evident in the Caribbean itself.

Only 15% of Afro-Caribbean Men in UK Aware of Risks

The Prostate Cancer Charity has taken significant steps to address risks and screening for prostate cancer among Afro-Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom through its African Caribbean Awareness Project.