Genetics Linked to Increased Prostate Cancer Risk in African Men

African men are more likely to develop prostate cancer because of genetic factors, according to a breakthrough study. A total of 7,500 men from eastern, southern, and western Africa were recruited for the study, the largest of its kind in the world. There is a high risk of prostate cancer in African men, which makes this study even more important, writes medical scientist Wenlong Carl Chen for The Conversation Africa.

Studies from the United States and African countries have shown that men of African ancestry are more likely to suffer from prostate cancer than men of other ancestries. The researchers also found that men of African and African Caribbean ancestry were at higher risk of developing a more aggressive form of prostate cancer and of developing it at a younger age than those of European ancestry.

The research found that nearly one-quarter of all cancer diagnoses in Africa are related to prostate cancer.