Sept. 25, 2007 — It’s more common in African-American and Latino men than in white men, and Caribbean men account for “some of the highest rates of prostate cancer in the world,” according to cancer researcher Derrick Grant, Ph.D.
Grant is research director at the Charlotte Kimelman Cancer Institute which, along with the American Cancer Society, is participating in October’s nationwide Prostate Cancer Awareness Month by offering a day-long screening Oct. 6. He will also be the speaker at free seminars on prostate cancer to be held Wednesday. The hour-long sessions are open to the public and take place in CKCI’s auditorium at noon and again at 6:30 p.m.
“It’s not just a seminar,” Grant said. “We want to make sure everyone has input. If there are any questions, we can answer them.”
Perhaps the biggest question is why prostate cancer is so prevalent in Caribbean men. The patient tumor registry at the Schneider Regional Medical Center on St. Thomas reveals that more prostate-cancer patients are served by the center than any other cancer patient, including breast and colon, Grant said.
“Actually, we don’t know why, and a lot of researchers are investigating that right now,” he said. “A lot of questions arise as to whether it has to do with nutrition. If you look at the black population on the west coast of Africa versus the Caribbean, there’s a higher incidence here. It could be a genetic component and a nutritional component, also.”
Nutrition will be one focus of Wednesday’s seminars.
“We’re going to be talking about nutrition, stress management — they’re all components," Grant said. "Just because we have a genetic disposition doesn’t mean we have to get cancer."
Men interested in taking advantage of CKCI’s Oct. 6 screening can do so between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be a $25 charge to help cover the cost of the $50 blood test that screens for the presence of PSA, or prostate-specific antigen. An elevated reading suggests the need for further evaluation. An optional digital rectal exam will also be offered.
Anyone who cannot afford the fee can visit the American Cancer Society at the Medical Arts Complex on St. Thomas and pick up a coupon that will waive the fee when presented on Oct. 6. For more information, call the Cancer Society at 775-5373.
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