Cancer survivor warns African-Americans of higher risk for prostate cancer

After his initial shock at learning he had prostate cancer, James Branch began researching his options, only to be shocked again.

African-American men, he learned, are 60 percent more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men, and twice as likely to die from it.

As a 59-year-old African-American, Branch was obviously concerned.

Following the recommendations of two doctors, the Naperville resident had his prostate removed. The surgery was a success, and he was declared cancer-free.

By dodging a bullet, Branch, a retired head of corporate IT at Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Chicago, is hoping his experience will help convince other African-American men to get screened for the disease. It's the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among men after lung cancer, with about 29,000 fatalities in this country this year.

Branch has gone to businesses and on cable TV on Chicago's South Side, trying to warn black men of the special danger they face, and what they can do about it.

With the help of two volunteer groups, Us Too in Downers Grove and the Wellness Place in Palatine, Branch also hopes to spread the word in the suburbs, where he's gone to grocery stores and train stations to hand out pamphlets.

"I'm looking at these statistics saying, 'Wow, I need to reach out more to African-Americans.' I'd like to be the focal point to reach out to this community."

Researchers differ about why prostate cancer strikes African-Americans disproportionately.

Some studies suggest that lack of medical insurance, mistrust of doctors, and inferior care may play a role. Other studies suggested the disease is more aggressive in African-Americans, but that may be because it's caught later.

Smoking, diet, obesity and testosterone levels are also risk factors that could play a role. One other study is also looking at a certain gene known to cause the cancer, to see if it's more prevalent in blacks.

Regardless of the reason, the racial disparity is greater than for any other cancer, and Branch is determined to reduce it.

Prostate cancer typically has few symptoms until it's spread. That's why the American Cancer Society recommends offering all men age 50 or older a doctor's rectal exam and a blood test for prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, which typically increases as prostate cancer grows.

For African-Americans, the Cancer Society recommends offering testing earlier, starting at age 45, and even earlier, at 40, for men with immediate family who've had early onset of the disease.

Early detection can be crucial to treat the disease before it spreads. Even if no cancer is detected, it's good to establish each man's base level of PSA, to keep track of how much it changes.

Still, screening for prostate cancer remains controversial, because it hasn't been proven to improve outcomes. Screening can lead to surgery and radiation, which may not work and often leave men with impotence and incontinence.

On Sunday, Branch will help run the Greater Chicago Prostate Cancer Run, Walk 'n Roll, a fundraiser for Us Too and Wellness Place being held in Chicago. The run will offer free PSA blood tests for all attending.

Branch is not alone. The American Cancer Society is mounting a new program to reach African-American men at churches in Elgin and Aurora. Fox Valley regional director Erin Shaffer said the society hopes to promote awareness and incorporate healthier foods and physical activity at church outings.

There are also encouraging signs in the fight. The death rate from prostate cancer has gone down since the early 1990s for both blacks and whites. If caught early, the 10-year survival rate is more than 90 percent.

Branch hopes to raise awareness just as breast cancer activists spread the word about the importance of mammograms. "That's our goal," he said, "to get where women are with breast cancer as far as funding and education."

For information about this Sunday's fundraiser, call Us Too at (630) 795-1002, or go to ustoo.org. For information about the American Cancer Society's program for African-American churches in Elgin and Aurora, call Jill Zubrod at (630) 879-9009, or go to cancer.org.