Black men are often prevented from getting tested for prostate cancer by their doctors

A survey found that nearly a third of black men (32%) haven’t had a test for prostate cancer because their doctor either refused to do so or told them it wasn’t necessary.

A study by Prostate Cancer Research of 2,000 men of color found that 69% had not either requested or had not received a PSA test from their doctor in the last year.

Many people said they were not able to get a test because of “barriers” in their GP’s office. Total 22% of respondents said that their doctor had told them that a test wasn’t necessary. This is despite the fact that black men have twice as high a risk of contracting the disease as the rest of the adult male population.

Another 10% claimed that their doctor refused to administer a test. Another similar percentage (11%) claimed they had to cancel the test because they couldn’t get time off from work.

Prostate Cancer Research reported that almost one-fourth of those who requested a PSA over the last year were unable to obtain one.

However, 80% of black men said that they would be willing to get tested if a screening program was implemented at the national level. A similar high percentage (82%) said that they would in principle be willing to get tested.

One quarter (25%) of respondents said that they or someone close to them were not routinely screened because they felt racial prejudice.

The survey also revealed that less than one third of blacks were aware of the double risk of this type of cancer for black men.

Nearly two thirds (64%) of respondents said that they would feel comfortable talking about the condition. On the other hand, a lack of knowledge or not knowing what to say can often prevent this potentially life-saving conversation.

Oliver Kemp, Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer Research said: “It’s vital that we raise awareness among not only the community, but also healthcare professionals and policy makers.”

We are calling for GPs to consider the greater risk of PSA in black men when considering PSA tests, and for government to introduce screenings for men at high risk groups.