Orchid Cancer Appeal and Cancer Black Care join forces and win Big Lottery funding to tackle prostate cancer in black African and Caribbean men
Orchid and Cancer Black Care have been awarded Big Lottery funding to undertake a new three-year joint project to raise awareness of prostate cancer among black African and Caribbean men and provide specialist support for men who have been diagnosed.
The project will help to educate men in this group about their risk, encourage them to see a GP earlier and provide specialist support networks and services to those who have the disease.
Black African and Caribbean men are at a heightened risk of prostate cancer, with incidence rates of 1 in 4 compared to 1 in 8 for the general population and as such, mortality rates are higher too. They are also more likely to develop the disease earlier, meaning that education about their risk needs to be tailored, especially as research shows that 90% of black African and Caribbean men are not aware of their increased risk.
The project is a joint initiative between Orchid Cancer Appeal, the UK’s leading male cancer charity dedicated to testicular, penile and prostate cancers and Cancer Black Care, a charity providing support networks and services to people affected by all cancers.
The two charities will work together, employing a dedicated nurse, developing community-specific information resources, helping better educate GPs about heightened risk and earlier development of the disease amongst black African and Caribbean men, hosting awareness roadshows across 6 London boroughs and setting up specialist support groups and networks.
Commenting, Rebecca Porta CEO of Orchid said:
“We’re absolutely delighted to have been awarded three years worth of funding from the Big Lottery to undertake this important campaign. We’ll be working closely with Cancer Black Care and one of the UK’s leading urologists in black African and Caribbean prostate cancer, Professor Frank Chinegwundoh, to deliver the best services we can. Black African and Caribbean men are at a heightened risk of prostate cancer, and current education and support services are still falling short of meeting their needs; men in this group are not always aware of their increased risk, do not know that they may get the disease earlier and the support on offer to those after diagnosis is limited. Together with Cancer Black Care we are determined to tackle these issues and deliver better outcomes for black African and Caribbean men in London”.