African-American Are More Prone To Cancer Than Other American Men

[Sciencelovah]

I happen to visit this link:

http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsMenTop10Cancers/

From that link:

Excerpt from that link:

The 10 most commonly diagnosed cancers among men in the United States* included cancers of the prostate, lung, colon and rectum, and bladder; melanomas of the skin; non-Hodgkin lymphoma; kidney cancer, mouth and throat cancer, leukemias, and pancreatic cancer.

The good news is:

Men can reduce their risk for some of the most common cancers by avoiding smoking and receiving regular colorectal cancer screening tests starting at age 50.

Anyway, the thing that wonders me is highlighted in blue:

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is by far the most common cancer in men. In the U.S. in 2005,* 185,895 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, and 28,905 died from the disease. Prostate cancer is more common among African-American men than men of other racial and ethnic groups, but medical experts do not know why. In 2005, 210.5 out of 100,000 African-American men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, compared to 132.8 white men, 116.4 Hispanic† men, 72.7 Asian/Pacific Islander men, and 64.6 American Indian/Alaska Native men.


Lung Cancer

More men die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer. In the U.S.,* 107,416 men were diagnosed with lung cancer, and 90,139 men died from the disease. African-American men also are affected more by lung cancer than men of other races and ethnicities. In 2005, 101.6 out of 100,000 African-American men were diagnosed with lung cancer, compared to 83.9 white men, 49.7 American Indian/Alaska Native men, 49.0 Asian/Pacific Islander men, and 47.6 Hispanic† men.

About 90% of lung cancer deaths in men in the U.S. are due to smoking. The most important thing a man can do to prevent lung cancer is to not start smoking, or to quit if he currently smokes.


Colorectal (Colon) Cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men. It affects both men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, and is most often found in people aged 50 years or older. In 2005,* 64.9 out of 100,000 African-American men were diagnosed with prostate colon cancer, compared to 55.4 white men, 46.8 Hispanic† men, 40.6 Asian/Pacific Islander men, and 34.3 American Indian/Alaska Native men.

Deaths from colorectal cancer could be cut by at least half if all people aged 50 years or older received regular screening tests. Speak with your doctor about colorectal cancer screening.

So, why does African-American men more prone to cancer than other American men? Please discuss.

Note: sorry for the missing verb in the thread title, I can't seem to edit the title.

[superstring01]

It may have more to do with lifestyle than biology, but biology is not to be dismissed. Black men have a greater preponderance to poverty, poverty inevitably leads to increased drug, tobacco, alcohol abuse. When coupled with the fact that poorer black men have a tendency to be un/under-insured as well as the fact that all poorer men have a higher degree of "masculine toughness identity" which results in an egotistical resistance to proper medical care, it seems pretty obvious why cancer is more prevalent in black men than white men.

I wonder if this statistic could be compared based upon American classes (poor white men vs. poor black men).


~String

[superstring01]

Note: sorry for the missing verb in the thread title, I can't seem to edit the title.

Mod Note: Fixed

[Sciencelovah]

Mod Note: Fixed

Ow, thank you, that's nice of you, String!

It may have more to do with lifestyle than biology, but biology is not to be dismissed. Black men have a greater preponderance to poverty, poverty inevitably leads to increased drug, tobacco, alcohol abuse. When coupled with the fact that poorer black men have a tendency to be un/under-insured as well as the fact that all poorer men have a higher degree of "masculine toughness identity" which results in an egotistical resistance to proper medical care, it seems pretty obvious why cancer is more prevalent in black men than white men.

I wonder if this statistic could be compared based upon American classes (poor white men vs. poor black men).


~String

I think of the poverty as well, although don't they need money to afford drugs, tobacco, and alcohol?

You said about "un/under-insured", is insurance not obligatory in USA? Here in Germany, no one can register for school/uni/work/visa/housing without having insurance. In my home country (Indonesia) it is not obligatory, but mine is not developed country.

Also, according the statistic in the OP, we can see that Asian/Pacific Islander men and American Indian/Alaska Native men have much lower rate of cancer, but I suppose that has to do with the fact that they are minority in the population. On the other hand, the African-American, eventhough is not the majority, has highest cancer rate, which shows that they are even more prone to cancer.

p.s.: that's an interesting thought about the "masculine toughness identity". Actually, I guess this happens more to men than women, too. Men don't go to doctor unless their sickness started to disturb their work..

[S.A.M.]

One of the theories is related to vitamin D production in vivo. Blacks have higher melanin content in their epidermis, which blocks UV-B rays and hence they tend to be more deficient in vitamin D than their pale skinned counterparts. If you collapse that data with findings that some of these cancers are found at a higher incidence in those latitudes where UV-B radiation is lower [and have a poorer or more lethal prognosis therein], the evidence seems to suggest that blacks have poor vitamin D status which may impact their resistance to developing cancer or recovering from it.

Black skin allows only 3% to 36% of ultraviolet rays to pass, while white skin passes 53% to 72%. As early man moved north from the equatorial region, beyond the 40th parallel (roughly, the latitude of Madrid and Naples), Loomis argues, he got into a zone where black skin filters out too much ultraviolet.

He encountered rickets. The darkest-skinned young male hunters were so crippled that they could not keep up; the darkest-skinned females died in childbirth because of pelvic deformities. Those who happened to be lighter skinned, of both sexes, survived.

Thus, by the classic Darwinian process of evolution by natural selection, the farther north man went, the more completely did the light-skinned survive and the dark-skinned die out.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...840985,00.html

More details:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsw...-vitamin-d.htm

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2007/January0...fsunshine.aspx

http://www.pnas.org/content/105/2/668.abstract

[Sciencelovah]

One of the theories is related to vitamin D production in vivo. Blacks have higher melanin content in their epidermis, which blocks UV-B rays and hence they tend to be more deficient in vitamin D than their pale skinned counterparts. If you collapse that data with findings that some of these cancers are found at a higher incidence in those latitudes where UV-B radiation is lower [and have a poorer or more lethal prognosis therein], the evidence seems to suggest that blacks have poor vitamin D status which may impact their resistance to developing cancer or recovering from it.




More details:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsw...-vitamin-d.htm

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2007/January0...fsunshine.aspx

http://www.pnas.org/content/105/2/668.abstract

Ooo...oooo... thanks for this information! I can't seem to open the first link (the one in the first quote, I guess it has to do with my crappy server ), but from your above link:

skin color (African Americans have, on average, about half as much vitamin D in their blood as white Americans)

Vitamin D would be essential if it did nothing else. But researchers have discovered that it’s active in many tissues and cells besides bone and controls an enormous number of genes, including some associated with cancers, autoimmune disease, and infection. Hardly a month goes by without news about the risks of vitamin D deficiency or about a potential role for the vitamin in warding off diseases, including breast cancer, multiple sclerosis, and even schizophrenia.

I have to say I am surprised that skin color has effect on Vit D absorption. Thanks for info!

I would like to copy this from your link, too:

Under the right circumstances, 10 to 15 minutes of sun on the arms and legs a few times a week can generate nearly all the vitamin D we need.

Selected food sources of vitamin D
Food.................................. ..... Vitamin D (IU*)
Salmon, 3.5 ounces..................... 360
Mackerel, 3.5 ounces................... 345
Tuna, canned, 3.5 ounces............ 200
Orange juice, fortified, 8 ounces.... 100
Milk, fortified, 8 ounces................ 98
Breakfast cereals, fortified, 1 serving.. 40–100
*IU = international units
Source: Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health

[S.A.M.]

Just FYI, people tend to speak of vitamin D from food as identical in all ways to vitamin D manufactured in the skin. I don't think we know enough to have reached any firm conclusions. I suggest you spend more time outdoors rather than popping pills. I would add, however, that the benefits outweigh the risks at this point [with our limited knowledge]. So everyone should get their vitamin D levels tested and if its below 30 ng/dl, get supplemented asap.

[Sciencelovah]

Just FYI, people tend to speak of vitamin D from food as identical in all ways to vitamin D manufactured in the skin. I don't think we know enough to have reached any firm conclusions. I suggest you spend more time outdoors rather than popping pills. I would add, however, that the benefits outweigh the risks at this point [with our limited knowledge]. So everyone should get their vitamin D levels tested and if its below 30 ng/dl, get supplemented asap.

I will ask my doctor next time how to get my vitamin D levels tested, thanks. I don't know if vitamin D from food might not identical to that manufactured in skin (from sunlight), but living in a bit high latitude especially in winter does lack the priviledge of having enough sunlight. This year, especially, is very odd. I remember world cup 2002 was opened on 11th of June, and that day was extremely hot, I was fainted with my nose firstly bleeding. However, today (21st of June) is suppose to be the start of new summer, but here in Europe, or to be exact Germany, the weather is still bad. It's still cold, most people still wear jacket / thin mantel.

[Orleander]

One of the theories is related to vitamin D production in vivo. Blacks have higher melanin content in their epidermis, which blocks UV-B rays and hence they tend to be more deficient in vitamin D than their pale skinned counterparts. ....

so this would apply to black women as well then?