Defense Secretary's diagnosis highlights higher prostate cancer risk for Black men

When Fred Taylor learned that U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was being treated for prostate cancer, he was shocked yet not surprised.

Shocked because Austin should have undergone regular screenings for prostate cancer as a high-ranking member of the military, raising questions about why the cancer was not detected earlier, Taylor said.

But Taylor also was not surprised: Black men are at higher risk of getting prostate cancer, which is one of the most common cancers among men. Black men are also at higher risk of dying of prostate cancer because they are often diagnosed at later stages, making it harder to treat.

Austin, 70, is the first Black defense secretary. His prostate cancer diagnosis, revealed Jan. 9 after Austin was hospitalized, serves as a stark reminder of the importance for all men of a certain age to undergo regular prostate cancer screenings, said Taylor, executive director of the Southwest Prostate Cancer Foundation. The nonprofit promotes prostate cancer screening and education.

"We stress to men, regardless of race, that you get those exams annually so that if there is something that develops you'll be able to catch it early," Taylor said.

But it is especially important for Black men to undergo prostate cancer screening considering they are more likely to get prostate cancer, said Taylor, 85. He was 60 when he was diagnosed with prostate cancer following a routine screening. His own cancer was caught at an early stage, making it more treatable, he said.

Austin went in for a prostatectomy, a surgery to treat cancer of the prostate at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, USA Today reported. Austin returned home and, more than a week later, was hospitalized due to a urinary tract infection that left him with severe abdominal, hip and leg pain, along with nausea, according to the report.

Prostate cancer affects more than one in eight U.S. men, and one in six African American men, during their lifetime, doctors who treated Austin said, according to the USA Today report.

But Black men are twice as likely to get prostate cancer compared to white men, said Dr. Bernard Gburek, of Arizona Urology Specialists. The higher rates among Black men are believed to be linked to genetics, Gburek said.

Latino men are 20% less likely to get prostate cancer but have a higher incidence of advanced prostate cancer, Gburek said, citing a Prostate Cancer Foundation report. The higher rate of advanced prostate cancer among Latino men is due to less access to screenings and education, the report said.

It is recommended that men 55 to 69 receive a prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood test and a rectal exam annually, Gburek said. But men from higher risk groups, including Black men, Latino men and men with a family history of prostate cancer, should begin screenings earlier and continue later, Gburek said.

Gburek pointed out that there are often no symptoms during the early stages of prostate cancer, underscoring the need for regular screenings. Once symptoms appear, the cancer has often spread to other parts of the body, making it harder to treat and more deadly, he said.

The news of Austin's diagnosis "is an example of really what should be done for health maintenance purposes," Gburek said. "It needs to be repeated to men that are in the groups that are at higher risk their need to get screened and checked over for this cancer. There may be some men walking around unaware that they're in an increased risk group."

Taylor said he is concerned that more doctors are limiting prostate cancer screenings to just PSA tests, and not performing digital rectal exams, which he said has led to higher rates of men with advanced prostate cancer.

"Right now, you are seeing a lot of late-stage prostate cancer that is developing in all men across the board," Taylor said. "It's just a higher percentage in the Black community."

The National Association of Hispanic Nurses Phoenix Chapter and the Black Nurses Association Greater Phoenix Area serve on the board of the Southwest Prostate Cancer Foundation, to help reach out to Black and Latino men, Taylor said.

It's important for men to receive both exams, Taylor said, to increase the chances of catching prostate cancer early. The digital rectal exam can detect nodules that could indicate prostate cancer. A biopsy is then performed. That is how his cancer was found, he said.

Taylor said the early diagnosis gave him more treatment options. He said doctors placed implants on both sides of his prostate, which slowly gave off high doses of radiation. Twenty-five years later, the cancer has not returned, he said.

Renae Linden, chief radiation therapist at the Arizona Prostate Cancer Center in Scottsdale, treats men with prostate cancer. She said many of her patients tell her they put off prostate cancer screenings or were unaware of the importance of getting annual screenings.

Linden is also the founder of Cancer Matters, a nonprofit that offers free PSA prostate cancer screenings and promotes prostate cancer awareness.

Linden finds that men often pay more attention to sports stats than their PSA scores.

"I want the guys to know what your PSA is. I ask them what their team stats are," she said. "You need to know your PSA. That is just as important. And that's more life-saving than your personal record on the bench press."

Linden conducts prostate cancer awareness forums and free screenings at different locations. The next ones will happen on Jan. 26 at Mobazz Barbershop, 4332 N Wells Fargo Ave., Scottsdale, and Cathee's Hair Studio, 7329 E. Stetson Drive, Unit #22, Scottsdale.

Linden's nonprofit also received a grant to offer mobile free prostate cancer screenings. For more information, email info@cancermatters.us or visit cmatters.org.

The Southwest Prostate Cancer Foundation offers free prostate screenings. The next one is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, June 15, at Arizona Urology Specialists, Blackhawk Clinic, 2902 W. Agua Fria Freeway. For more information, visit the Southwest Prostate Cancer Foundation website at swprostatecancer.com.

Reach the reporter at daniel.gonzalez@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Defense Secretary's prostate cancer diagnosis reminder to get screened